The four crucial elements to telling your unique brand story.

Branding isn’t just about the visuals. It’s about the soul and story behind your business. It’s the essence of your business all wrapped up. But there are a few key elements that make a successful brand that are common across so many businesses. 

Have you ever felt a really strong connection to a business and immediately bought from them, or visited their website or gave them a follow on Instagram? It’s not necessarily because you had a basic desire for their product or service, it’s because you felt emotionally connected to what they were saying. 

Business owners assume all they need is just a logo and they’ll be on the merry way, while others dive head first into the deep end and want the works! While yes, we love that energy and we do believe that a cohesive, well-rounded brand is essential it’s not always the very first thing you need. 

So, here are the 4 things we believe that every business needs as part of their branding strategy and design. A visual identity is the vehicle to tell your story, and these four crucial elements all work together to tell one hell of a story! 

1. Purpose

Without purpose, what do you actually have? A loose set of values, decisions and no real sense of direction. Purpose is knowing: 

• Who your audience is 

• Who you are 

• What you provide 

• Why you do what you do 

A successful business, especially in the early stages is one that knows their point of difference, is confident in who they are and can effectively resonate with their audience. 

If you have purpose, then the rest will follow. Which leads us into... 

2. Intention

An intentional brand and business is knowing your purpose, and then acting on that purpose. It’s about knowing your brand position and where you fit in the market to then effectively target and market to your audience. Business isn’t a guessing game, it’s a strategic plan with effective decision making for a desired outcome. 

This is where “The Brand Blueprint” comes in. This document is your strategic business blueprint that outlines in detail your audience, position, purpose, vision, goals, competition and more. Intention is a powerful tool in decision making. 

3. Consistency

Every business needs a strong set of guidelines to maintain consistency across all platforms. This is the key to creating a highly recognisable and memorable brand. These decisions are made with intention for your audience to create that emotional connection. Consistency across all digital platforms, from your website down to the Instagram highlight icons plus all printed collateral is a crucial element to increase your brand awareness. 

If you’ve ever heard of the rule of 7, it’s an old marketing strategy that an audience needs to hear or see your message seven times before purchasing. Imagine if your audience saw your business seven times and every time it looked different. Not a great (or intentional) strategy! 

4. Passion 

This is my favourite basic need that every business owner MUST HAVE! Without passion, why do you what you do? This brings it back to your purpose. 

When someone is truly passionate about what they do, you can tell instantly. And without it, there’s the potential you’ll fall out of love with your business, product or service and it won’t matter. But with passion, work is no longer ‘work’.