Interest from customers and companies in e-commerce platforms is continuously escalating and it is a highly competitive environment. So, how can you stand out and ensure that your brand is memorable? The answer lies in a strong and functional brand identity.
How to Evolve a Great Idea into a Powerful Brand
The genesis of every e-commerce platform lies in an idea. A unique concept from which its creator expects entrepreneurial success. Infusing it with a certain character and visual style is aided by elements such as the name, logo, color scheme, and typography, among others. Is this enough to create an e-commerce platform? Possibly. But is it enough to create an e-commerce platform with a memorable brand? Most likely not.
Even before designing the logo and choosing the color scheme, you must establish a clear conceptual framework for your brand. Reflect on the meaning of your brand—what vision it should follow, what mission it should fulfill, and what value it should add compared to competitors? Answering these questions will be facilitated by what we refer to as the ‘brand idea’, which will serve as a kind of compass for your brand.
Image is Useless if the Brand Lacks a Clear Identity
Everyone aspires for their brand to be memorable. Ideally, it should leave a vivid visual, sonic, haptic, or aromatic imprint on existing and prospective customers. To achieve this, we must connect the brand with unique characteristic features. In marketing practice, we refer to this set of traits as brand assets.
Brand assets have long-term validity; therefore, it is essential to define them clearly right at the start of creating your brand strategy. Since these assets will accompany every online activity, they must be immutable and consistently present throughout the communication concept. They should always be incorporated into your brand communication, be it advertising campaigns, corporate merchandise (merch, product packaging, gift items, etc.), or social media posts.
“I have brand assets. Does my brand have an image now?” Not quite. The brand must also function within the context of brand reputation and customer experience, which can have an immense and often immutable impact. In the case of an e-commerce platform, this might refer to the user-experience of the website.
Look at our case studies and discover how we approached the creation of effective websites.
Remember, your brand makes a specific promise to the customer. However, it shouldn’t just end as an empty phrase next to a pretty logo. Everyone who comes into contact with your brand should feel its authenticity and truthfulness.
Successful Brand Management is Crucial
Not just your customers, but particularly you, would certainly want your e-shop to operate efficiently and generate profit. However, nothing occurs spontaneously. Managing or running an e-shop will require a certain level of care and professional approach from your side, just as with your brand.
Brand management is a process that cannot proceed without patience, determination, and constant interest. As a branding agency, at GALTON Brands, we focus primarily on branding. We guide our clients on how to build their brand over the long term, consistently, and step-by-step. We educate them to perceive the brand as an integrated organism consisting of many factors that need to be organized and managed properly. Without proper brand management, the brand cannot progress. Over time, it might deviate from its objectives, cease to communicate consistently, and thereby diminish its memorability in the eyes of the target audience. Clearly, no one desires such an outcome.
To Make the Success of a Brand Visible
Many brands recognize substantial value and allocate the majority of their marketing effort primarily towards the brand’s visual assets. Indeed, these are the most visible, so this step may seem logical. However, in branding, what is often most valuable is precisely what is least visible to the eye: credibility, authenticity, sincerity, communication tonality, and the customer experience.
At GALTON Brands agency, we teach our clients to understand the internal relationship between the brand’s identity and image. We offer a helping hand and guide them through various stages of brand development, which often include mergers, acquisitions, or rebranding. While the lifecycle of a brand is similar for every company, its length depends on the brand’s credibility, the positive associations it can create with its audience, the level of responsible management, and its ability to fulfill set objectives.
If you approach brand-building responsibly, you will feel the results not only in its appearance or audience reactions but also in your company’s revenue and value. Unsure of how to do it? We are ready to boost your brand.
