How does a brand turn into something people relate to and look forward to supporting? Branding can be one of the hardest parts of establishing or reinventing a business. There are a ton of things to consider from designs and graphics to how you present your products or services to your audience. It’s not easy, but there are ways to ensure success.
One of the best things a business can do to build a better brand is put all of their effort into authenticity and relevance. How can we achieve that when audiences and shoppers seem to be changing every day? Well, these five branding trends point to a good start to making 2021 the first year you work towards a business that people don’t just support, but wholly buy into as a concept and experience.
Five Trends Proven to Build a Better Brand
A brand isn’t just a way to increase sales. If you ask a digital strategy agency, they’ll tell you that a brand is just the manifestation of your own values, ideas, and inspiration in the form of marketing. With as much time as we put into our work, it’s important to have a brand reflect what matters most to your business.
There are easy things we all know about memorable brands. Apart from a good logo and social media presence, going bigger and better in 2021 is going to help grow your business in meaningful ways. Here are some of the top trends in branding that will prove to be wildly beneficial to incorporate.
Have a Personal Presence in your Brand
Nothing helps you connect with your customers and audience more than being at the forefront of your brand. Whether you keep up with a regularly updated blog or include yourself in social media post images, you matter to your brand!
It’s not just about making sure people know the person behind the business. When we step out of the background and take an upfront role in branding, we emerge as leaders and authentic storytellers. What is a brand if not a story waiting to be told? Nobody is going to tell your story better than you, so be sure to personally play a role in your brand in some shape or form.
Put Your Values at the Forefront
2020 was a huge year for brand’s recognizing the importance of putting their values on full display. Shoppers are more likely to go out and support businesses that mirror their beliefs and values. Plus, speaking out and showing up when it matters about crucial issues can help show customers that you’re worth supporting.
If your brand chooses to go the route of repurposing revenue to a cause, remember the golden rule of business advocacy: transparency, transparency, transparency! Be clear in your messages and your actions when it comes to highlighting your values. Any cause for confusion or concern can do more harm than good, even when your intentions are true.
Stand Out in Expressive Ways
We know the importance of logos and graphics, but what sets you apart as a brand? In most cases, it’s going to end up being the ways in which you express your brand’s energy or spirit through visuals. From product shoots to Instagram posts, the way you express emotion through your images matters.
Let’s take Hydroflask for example. As you scroll Hydroflask’s Instagram, the images and graphics are bright, energetic, and the people in the pictures are smiling and look happy! It’s hard to not look at these images and think that Hydroflask is a brand that’s great to bring along on your favorite journeys and adventures.
This is all an organized branding decision, and guess what, it works! Make it work for you and find ways to be expressive in every image and graphic you create.
Don’t Be Afraid to Be Weird
Being weird used to be an insult. Now, your brand can gain a lot from going against the current and being authentically you. If you can pinpoint a way that your brand is special or unique, lean into it! It’s important to take branding seriously, but don’t make your brand too serious.
The best way to ensure a healthy balance of effective branding with plenty of room for the oddities that draw an audience’s eye is to experiment. Your creative team can take the freedom given in finding a perfectly distinguishable weirdness to really carve out a space for you in your market no matter how crowded.
Create an Immersive Experience for your Customers
When you put energy into your brand, you’re telling the story of your business. Your brand isn’t a means to sell your product or service. Your brand is the way you invite customers to join the journey you’re on with your business.
From the inside looks at what you’re up to during a busy day to polling audiences in fun Q+A videos, your presence in digital copy, graphics, and images and video are going to be the difference maker for a customer choosing you. Make sure to immerse yourself in your brand and the audience will follow suit.
Find your Brand’s Happy Place
When it comes to branding, it’s exciting to carve out a perfect way to present yourself through various marketing tools and techniques. When you need a hand, however, trusted agencies can help pinpoint what makes you special and how to shape your brand around your unique offering to the world. Start building your better brand today!
