No business wants to be a soulless enterprise. Your brand plays an integral part in building a powerful brand personality that customers will love.
Just like your own character, you cannot simply state the traits of your brand on paper; you have to demonstrate them through everything your business does, what your visuals show, and the experience your customers encounter at every touchpoint.
As a result, brand profiling is an essential aspect of building and channelling your brand so that your business has an appealing personality. So, how can you build a brand profile that consumers will love?
Why brand personality is important
It is your brand personality that forges relationships with your customers. Ultimately, this relationship underpins the success of your brand. In most cases, customers select a brand based on the emotional connection and relationship that they have with the brand. People want to know what your brand stands for, why they can trust you and what your brand means to them. All of these aspects make up your brand personality.
Even in the case of customers looking for the lowest price, they will still take into consideration your brand personality. It could be that the brand is ‘no-nonsense’ or perhaps ‘cheap and cheerful’. Regardless of your price point, your customers are still engaging their emotional response and taking into account of the brand personality before making a decision to purchase.
How to create a brand personality
Building your brand profile takes more than simply stating what you want your brand to be. You have to implement a consistent approach across all platforms and through every action so that your brand exudes a compelling personality. If you’re looking to create a brand personality, follow these five key steps:
1. Do your homework
Understanding your target market requires dedicated research. It is more than simply picking out an age range; you need to know your target audience inside out. From where they holiday to their life aspirations, what they love, where they work, and so much more. Conducting thorough research will help you to form a brand that meets the needs of your target audience.
It is also important to do your homework on your competition too. What makes certain brands successful and why are others falling short? Another critical question to ask is, ‘what is the customer perception of other brands?’ With all of this information, you can then begin to carve out your unique brand profile.
2. Get defining
With all of your research and knowledge in place, you can start to define your brand personality. With brand profiling, every brand tends to fall into one of the following five personality traits. These are; sophistication, ruggedness, excitements, sincerity and competence. Selecting one of these five traits can be a good area to start with and then drill down to the fine detail.
Remember, a customer will quickly be able to see through brands that are not authentic. With this in mind, don’t strive to be something that you cannot achieve, and you can’t consistently keep up.
3. Focus on your uniqueness
Once you have your personality, complete with all necessary character traits, it’s time to emphasise the key aspects of your brand personality. These will set your brand apart and make your business unique. Many businesses share similar operations or strategies. However, it is the personality and experience that provides the edge. With your business amongst its competitors, how is your brand going to set itself apart?
4. Tell your brand story
A story is another way that you can build a memorable personality for your customers. It shows how your brand got to where it is and the attributes that have turned your business dream into the brand it is today. With your brand story, you can reflect all of the aspects of your personality such as tone of voice and humour to really cement your brand’s personality.
5. Follow a consistent direction
Now you have a solid brand personality, maintaining the brand profile is vital. Your brand needs to remain consistent with the values it holds. Otherwise, customers will lose faith and trust with your brand and look for another brand to build a relationship with.
Keep your personality at the forefront, try to follow a strategic and logical direction to grow your brand. From the ‘About Us’ page on your website to your social media strategy and advertising, think about the best places to develop your brand. At every juncture ask yourself, ‘does this enhance the brand personality?’ If it doesn’t, it is probably best to steer clear.
Align your brand personality with your strategy
A powerful brand personality does not happen by accident. It is the result of a deliberate roadmap that unites your messaging, visuals, and business goals.
If your brand feels scattered or your brand identity no longer reflects who you are, explore our Brand Strategy services to help you define your unique positioning. If your visual touchpoints need an update to match your new personality, our Brand Design services can bring your strategy to life through brilliant creative execution.
If you are ready to start the conversation, contact Liquid Creativity. As a branding agency Melbourne businesses have trusted for over 30 years, we help you build a cohesive brand profile that drives long-term growth.
