Think back to your most recent retail experience. What store was it? What colors do you remember? Was there a specific scent to the store? How did it make you feel? Was there something you liked or disliked about the layout of the space? Have you interacted with that business since?
Every image, sensation, and emotion you just recalled is part of that business’s brand experience. If you’re a business owner, think about the customer’s experience with your brand. How do customers feel when they arrive to your online or brick-and-mortar store? What’s the first impression visitors receive? What colors will they remember when they leave? How will you engage with customers after their initial visit?
Curating brand personality is critical for businesses today. Why? Because shoppers want to connect with the brands and businesses they buy from. The amount of products and services available to consumers is overwhelming. With a click of a button, shoppers can find almost every product and service under the sun. However, most customers don’t want to shop with every business or have every possible option. They want to shop with businesses and brands they feel emotionally or intellectually aligned with.
If a brand’s personality is unclear or has been inconsistent, customers will just keep browsing. Take the time to think through your brand’s personality before it gets lost in the shuffle.
Here are a few questions to get started building a brand personality that makes sense for the business, connects with the target audience and stands the test of time:
- What is the brand’s top personality trait? There are five identified brand personality groups and they include excitement, sincerity, ruggedness, competence and sophistication. Dove Beauty, for instance, uses “sincerity” to guide their brand experience helping them connect with women all over the world.
- Does the brand have up or down characteristics? Up brands are typically playful, fast-paced, contemporary, adventurous, cutting-edge, daring or inspiring. Down brands are mindful, sophisticated, establish, traditional, empathic or safe. These characteristics should compliment the top brand personality trait and can be used to guide content around a brand.
- How will transparency be a part of the brand’s personality? Customer’s demand honest from today’s businesses. When something goes wrong (and it will) how will the brand/business communicate with customers? How will staff cultivate honest communication internally and externally?
- Is the brand trendy or consistent? Will the brand/business jump into the latest innovation or trend? Or will the brand focus on quality, consistently crafted experiences and be slower to adapt new tech or trends?
- How will brand perception be measured? Build an internal and external process for measuring brand perception. A few simple ways to get started may include customer surveys, case studies or social media commentary.
At Concept Co., helping companies build brands that engage and invigorate customers is what we do. If you’d like to learn how we could help manage brand development or brand campaigns, contact us today to see what we could create together.