Business
What is a Brand Image? Guide to Creating a Trustworthy Brand
Are you asking, “What is a brand image?” and wondering how to create one? Read this article to learn how to create a trustworthy brand.
So what is a brand image and how does this tie into branding as a whole?
Most people describe a brand as a logo or company name but these things are only a part of what a brand really is (or should be).
Coke spends an average of $3.96 billion on branding each year, which tells us two things:
- Branding is more than a company name and logo
- Brading is extremely valuable to big businesses
This guide will explain exactly what brand image is and how to create your own for your business.
What is a Brand Image?
The best place to start is to stop thinking of a brand as a static image and instead think of it as a person. How do you create a holistic branding personality that will eventually meet your business’s needs?
The kind of personality your brand has depends on the following things.
Who your Audience is
There is a standard process for defining who your audience is that leads to everything else about your brand.
- What need does your product or service fill?
- Who has this need that you can fill?
- Where are they? Online and offline.
- How can you reach them?
- What else do you know about them?
Until you really understand who your ideal customers are it isn’t a good idea to start creating a brand identity. This is because every element of your brand is going to be based on who your customers are, what they need, and what makes their life easier.
The purpose of branding is to position your business as the answer to these things, so take the time to figure this out before you move forward.
Creating a Unique Value Proposition
Another thing to consider is what your unique value proposition is. Your unique value proposition is the thing that is unique about your business that sets you apart from all the rest.
Unique value is the main drawcard for your business and can be used as the basis of your whole brand image. You might be able to compete on price significantly more than your competitors or you might decide to go above and beyond with your customer service.
Deciding what makes you unique will help you put your best foot forward and narrow down your target audience.
Knowing your Purpose
It might sound obvious but knowing your purpose has a big impact on your branding. In today’s world, businesses are being pushed to show that they have a meaningful purpose that goes beyond their products.
When we think of Tesla we don’t just think of solar-powered cars, we think of evolving the human race by sending people to Mars (or at least trying to).
Your purpose doesn’t have to be saving the world, but it should be something more meaningful than making a profit. This will make life more satisfying for you and give your customers something real to connect with.
Think Ahead
Where you are at the start of your business journey hopefully won’t be where you are in five years.
It pays to come up with a plan of where you would like to be and make sure that it fits the initial branding you create. Re-branding is expensive and time-consuming, you can avoid doing that later by thinking ahead from the start.
Come up with a plan of how you are going to scale your business. Will you be offering new services after twelve months, or will your services shift into a different niche? Do you see your customers base shifting at some point?
Every successful business grows naturally, so put some thought into creating a brand identity that you won’t quickly outgrow.
Your Visual Assets
Something as simple as using the same color in your visual assets can increase your brand’s recognition by 80%. This is because our brains are hardwired to process visual information a lot faster than verbal information.
The way that you design your business’s visual assets will speak louder than words to your customers, often without them realizing it.
Choosing the design elements that best represent your message will help your brand identity to be consistent with your brand’s personality.
Let’s take a look at how and where these visual assets come into play.
Your Design Elements
Your choice of color, shapes, lines, and fonts will all make up your brand’s visual image. It’s a fact that these elements all have a different effect on the way people perceive a brand.
For example, the color red is often associated with urgency and passion. Cursive fonts usually express feminine qualities and horizontal lines can make us think of physical strength, so they are often used in designs targeting men.
Choosing the right designs gives you a leg up with your audience at first glance.
Your Website
Your website is your business’s online hub. Ideally, all roads should lead back to your website where a customer can opt into your deal.
If you’re using other platforms as spokes to drive traffic to your website it’s important to make sure that all of these places look and feel consistent with your branding.
Inconsistency can create trust issues and appear awkward for people. All of the channels you use should create a seamless experience for the user as they navigate from your Facebook to your website and other landing pages.
It’s a good idea to create website color schemes and apply these across all of your company’s branding.
Your Logo
Logos are important because you can place them anywhere and instantly bring your business to people’s minds without any other prompting.
A logo is the visual snapshot of everything that your brand means to people. While some of this will determine itself over time, use your design elements purposefully to reflect your company’s message.
Your Traditional Advertising
It’s easy to forget about traditional advertising when you’re a small business making the most of digital marketing. However traditional marketing methods such as personalized flyers, posters, packaging, and brochures should also all be consistent with your chosen brand design.
Keep in mind that it’s difficult and more expensive to change these designs after you’ve had them printed and placed in public. Leave the traditional advertising until after you’re one-hundred percent happy with your brand identity.
Your Tone of Voice
The tone of voice you use refers to the way your business says what it wants to say; and like every other part of your branding, it needs to be consistent.
Your tone of voice should resonate with your target audience. Are they conservative or alternative? Will they respond best to a technical and intellectual conversation or a funny and edgy one?
It’s important to outline your brand’s tone of voice in your style guide along with the visual elements of your branding.
Business Name
Your business name should match your brand’s tone of voice. It should also be clear and easy to remember.
Most of the time it’s good for a business name to represent what the business offers but often a business name will take on its own meaning as the brand developed its personality.
Think of Tesla, Telstra, Panadol, and Adobe. They are all simple and unusual names that represent hugely successful brand identities.
Your Tagline
A tagline is a one-sentence, inspiring summary of your business. The key to an effective tagline is keeping it simple, memorable, and summarizing your unique value. This can be a real challenge, the trick is not to overthink it.
Here are some examples:
MasterCard: There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.
Nike: Just Do It.
L’Oréal Paris: Because You’re Worth It.
All of these taglines create a positive feeling towards the brand, some of them even inspire action towards the brand.
Your Mission and Vision Statements
This is your opportunity to flesh out everything your brand stands for. It isn’t the most obvious piece of branding to your customers, but its value comes from keeping everybody in your business heading towards the same goal.
This keeps all of the small decisions for your company consistent over a long period of time, which means a lot for remaining true to the brand image you have created.
Your Customer Service
By now, when you think of a brand’s image you are probably starting to think of how you perceive a business based on how it looks. While this is true it isn’t the whole picture.
There are two crucial things to understand about creating a brand image:
- Your customers will ultimately decide what your image means to them
- Because of this, you need to be listening to them and evolving with them constantly
Brand image is a two-way street. You create a brand image and throw it out into the world where it becomes a living and evolving thing. What this means is that your brand will be defined as much by your customers as it is by your business.
If your customers have a negative experience with your business, all of the work you put into designing your visual image will start to represent something negative to your audience.
Your brand image is just as much about your reputation as it is about your products and service. This is why customer service is your life raft.
93% of customers say they will make repeat purchases from a business if they have a positive customer service experience.
Customer service is an opportunity to help smooth out problems that your customer is having with your business which means you can turn a negative situation into a positive one if you handle it properly.
Staff Morale and Creating a Positive Brand Identity
An often overlooked part of creating a brand identity is the way that your business handles its staff. Happy staff that are loyal and passionate about their workplace will be motivated to give the best service they can.
Your staff are stakeholders in your business and can have an equally important impact on your business as your customers. Often it is your staff that are handling the day to day details that keep your business running that define the way your customers view your brand.
Customer service is a perfect example of this. Often customer service is the only human interaction a customer has with a business which will help them decide how honest your company actually is.
This comes back to the way your brand is perceived being equally as important as how you have designed it.
The bottom line: look after your staff and they will look after your customers.
Looking for More Information About Branding?
Now that you have all the information you need to get started building your brand it’s important to keep improving all the time. Your brand will grow with your business so don’t let mistakes hold you back for too long.
Mistakes are only human and it’s often how you handle them that determines how they affect your business. A little bit of human error handled properly can even help your business seem more genuine and transparent.
Maybe you came here asking the question “what is a brand image?” and now you’re wondering what else you can do to boost your business?
Our blog is full of tips and information about marketing so make sure you check it out.
Business
Embracing the Elegance of Glass Roof Terraces: A Guide to Transforming Your Outdoor Experience
Picture yourself basking in the sun, surrounded by panoramic views while enjoying the comfort of your own home. Glass roof terraces or Glasdach Terrassen (in German) have emerged as a captivating solution to revolutionize outdoor living spaces, blending the allure of the outdoors with the coziness of the indoors.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the world of glass roof terraces, exploring the benefits, design considerations, and essential tips to elevate your outdoor living experience. So, let’s embark on this journey together!
The Intrigue of Glass Roof Terraces: A Dance of Light and Space
Glass roof terraces are a contemporary innovation that combines the functionality of a terrace with the sophistication of a glass enclosure. Here are some key features that set them apart:
- Transparency: The glass roof creates an open, airy atmosphere, allowing natural light to stream in while offering unobstructed views. Compared to a lamella roof, a glass roof e.g. always ensures incidence of light.
- Versatility: Glass roof terraces can be tailored to suit various architectural styles, accommodating both traditional and modern homes.
- Weather Protection: The glass roof shields your outdoor space from the elements, enabling you to savor the outdoors in all weather conditions.
The Charm of Glass Roof Terraces: A Symphony of Benefits
Embracing a glass roof terrace comes with a myriad of advantages that enhance your outdoor experience:
- Extended Living Space: By enclosing your terrace with a glass roof, you create a seamless transition between your indoor and outdoor spaces, effectively expanding your living area.
- Year-Round Use: The glass roof’s weather protection capabilities enable you to relish your outdoor space throughout the year, irrespective of the season.
- Increased Property Value: A well-designed glass roof terrace not only boosts your home’s aesthetic appeal but also potentially enhances its resale value.
- Energy Efficiency: The influx of natural light can help reduce your reliance on artificial lighting, lowering your energy consumption and utility bills.
Designing Your Glass Roof Terrace: Crucial Factors to Ponder
To create a captivating glass roof terrace, consider the following aspects:
- Structural Integrity: Consult with an engineer or architect to ensure your existing terrace can support the weight of a glass roof, and comply with local building codes.
- Glass Type: Research the different types of glass available, such as tempered, laminated, or insulated, to determine the most suitable option for your needs and climate.
- Ventilation: Incorporate a ventilation system or operable windows in your design to prevent overheating and maintain a comfortable atmosphere.
- Privacy: If desired, explore options for privacy-enhancing solutions, such as tinted glass, frosted finishes, or strategically placed plants.
Conclusion: Unleashing the Potential of Your Glass Roof Terrace
A glass roof terrace or Glasdach Terrasse as it is called in German, is a splendid addition to any home, merging the beauty of nature with the comfort of indoor living. By understanding the unique features and advantages of glass roof terraces, and taking into account your specific requirements, you can craft an enchanting outdoor haven. So, let your creativity take flight, and experience the magic of a glass roof terrace as you bask in the sun, surrounded by the splendor of the great outdoors.
Technology has made a huge impact in many sectors globally and investing is certainly one to consider. For instance, online trading platforms have taken off in the last few decades and have opened up the world of trading financial assets to everyone.
One thing you need to think about before starting to invest online is what to put your money into. There are lots of different assets out there and it pays to know about the most popular before diving in. With this in mind, finding out more about bonds and stocks is wise.
Although they might sound broadly the same, they are two very distinct assets. But what are they and how do they differ?
What are bonds?
Savings bonds are an enduringly popular choice for investors and are widely traded around the globe. In essence, they involve individuals loaning money to a national government over a fixed period in order to make a financial gain when the loan is paid back.
It is possible to invest in two major types of bonds: a fixed interest rate bond and one that is variable rate. Investors make money from bonds through the amount of interest which is accrued over the period of the loan.
What are stocks?
Just as people are getting into online gaming, trading stocks online is a popular activity. But what are they all about?
Investing in this asset involves traders buying a share in a company listed on a stock exchange for a certain price. The aim is then to sell the shares at a higher price in the future to make money. People can put money into companies listed on a variety of well-known stock exchanges worldwide via online trading platforms, ranging from the NYSE to London’s stock market or the DAX in Germany.
As you can see, the very nature of what each asset involves already marks them out as distinct from one another. But what are the five specific ways these two differ?
1. Risk level
Perhaps the major difference between these two assets is their level of risk. Savings bonds are commonly seen as low-risk and less volatile than investing in stocks. This is because bonds involve you loaning money to national governments who are almost certain to repay it.
Bonds also come with the knowledge that you should always get your initial outlay back and enjoy regular income from them across the period of the loan. Stocks on the other hand are seen as a lot riskier as there is no guarantee of getting your initial investment back or making any money on them.
2. Timescales
The timescales involved in bonds or stock investments also mark them out as separate assets. Stocks have no pre-set timeframe for how long your investment should be held for and this leaves people free to exit the trade whenever they like.
Due to this, stocks also usually have no penalties for exiting a trade earlier than you might have planned initially. Bonds, however, do feature a pre-set loan period and can involve penalties for redeeming the bond before it is due to mature.
3. Tax
Another way stocks and bonds differ is how the IRS looks at them. Investing in stocks can lead to you having to pay tax on any profits made or dividend distribution tax for shares which pay out dividends each year.
Bonds are not looked at in the same way and are treated as debt instruments. This means they are not exposed to any tax burdens and this means you keep 100% of any returns made, minus any transaction fees for the trade at your broker.
4. Issuing of stocks and bonds
As noted in our brief definition of each asset above, bonds are loans made to national governments by individual traders but stocks are shares you buy in a publicly listed company. This reveals another key difference between the two which is who actually issues each asset.
In their most basic form, bonds are issued by governments or government institutions but stocks are issued by individual, privately owned businesses. This is a clear area where they diverge and yet again shows how they differ.
5. Potential returns
Stocks can potentially deliver higher returns because they are not tied to interest rates and allow you to sell your shares without penalty whenever the price is right.
Bonds though tend to offer less scope in terms of potential returns as they are tied to a pre-fixed return or variable interest rates which may not be as lucrative. They do have the huge benefit of being lower risk in general though.
Stocks vs bonds: Which should you invest in?
The simple truth is that you should consider both assets and invest in the one you understand best. If you find it tough to choose, many traders will include both in their portfolio as a way of diversifying.
The COVID19 pandemic has made some huge changes to the world of work over the past few years. Not only are more people now working remotely, but professionals are choosier about where they work, prioritize a good work-life balance, and are more likely to gravitate towards employers who care about their employees’ health and wellbeing. As an employer in the post-pandemic world, upping your game when it comes to employee benefits is crucial if you want to continue attracting the best talent and protecting your reputation as an employer. Some of the main benefits that people want to see after the COVID19 pandemic include:
Healthcare Benefits
There’s nothing like a pandemic to make people put their health and wellbeing first, and after the crisis, people are less interested in working long hours and more interested in making sure that they are well and healthy. So, it’s only natural that they will be looking for an employer who also values this for their employees. Employers who offer a good healthcare benefits package are in high demand today, so consider offering some of the most sought-after options such as health insurance for your employees and their families, accident and disability insurance and supplemental health benefits such as those from Humana Healthcare OTC and alternatives.
Education and Development
Lots of people used the COVID19 pandemic as an excuse to develop their skills and learn something new; online courses and free skills development opportunities online boomed during lockdowns when people were spending more time at home with more free time to invest. Much of this has continued to spill over into the workplace today, with lots of professionals more interested in working for employers who will invest in their learning and development. Nobody wants to be stuck in a rut when it comes to their job, and for many the pandemic was a wake-up call that they could be learning more and doing more if they weren’t putting so many hours in doing the same thing every day. Offering funding for training courses, programs, and even degree qualifications will help you stand out as an employer in the post-pandemic world.
Remote and Hybrid Working
Finally, the ability to work from home has become so normalized in the world since the COVID19 pandemic that it’s almost not a benefit any longer. The truth is that after lockdown, people who do not need to be in an office to get their job done don’t want to have to be there every day of the week. Throughout the pandemic, people realized that working from home was not only just as effective, but it also allowed them to spend more time with family and save money without commuting. If you want your business to thrive as an employer after the COVID19 pandemic, then it’s definitely worth considering continuing remote working, or offering a hybrid setup where employees work partly from the office and partly from home.
In 2020, the world of work was dramatically changed in many ways by the COVID19 pandemic. To thrive as an employer now, these are the top things you’ll need to offer.
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