When it comes to your website, the design and underlying message must convey who you are at the core. Your website is an extension of your brand, and a consistent and well-articulated brand identity is the foundation you need as you grow your business.
Your website should:
- Build trust with your audience
- Communicate brand values
- Distinguish yourself from competitors
Building your website with a strong brand identity is essential to accomplishing these goals.
What Is Brand Identity?
Brand identity is how you want the world to perceive your brand. It’s what you say, what your values are, how you communicate about your product or service, and how you want people to feel when they interact with you. When these things are strong, it’s easier for your audience to want to do business with you.
Some of the website elements that comprise your brand identity include:
- Logos
- Color schemes
- Typography
- Imagery and design
- Page content and blogs
They can help generate recognition and foster loyalty when appropriately used.
The Importance of Brand Identity
Your website is a place to showcase and reflect your brand’s personality and values. For example, if you are loose and informal in the office or as you deal with customers, the website should showcase that loose and informal feel. Brand identity should be involved in every aspect of the website.
This means using a less formal (yet still professional-looking) logo and design. It means content written more casually (again, still professionally). Your brand identity gives your customers a window into who you are as they interact with your website.
Brand Identity and User Experience
Picture yourself somewhere in the buying cycle for a significant product. You may have come across some brochures at the store. Next, you may be doing your online research looking at websites, and signing up for a few emails. You notice a few social icons, so you click on those, too. You want to know when you’ve seen that company somewhere else. It streamlines the process.
Brand identity is a big part of creating a cohesive user experience. When it’s consistent over all of your marketing channels, it makes your company more recognizable to your audience. In other words, your website should use similar graphics and writing styles to your social media channels, email, print materials, and other marketing. This can improve user interactions and help you to increase conversion rates.
A Strong Brand Identity Improves Your Business
The more familiar your audience is with you, the more likely they will buy. This is why it’s essential to distinguish yourself with a strong brand identity. VisionFriendly.com has been designing websites since modems sang us a song when we logged online. Seriously, we’ve been around since 1998 – the dark ages of the internet. If you’d like to discuss upcoming marketing initiatives, call us at (630) 553-0000 today!