What are the 6 key elements of a brand?

The 6 key elements of a brand

If you don’t have a marketing background, the concept of what is a brand may be a little abstract and unclear.

You may have a few ideas about what it could be – it might your hard work, your logo or byline.

Well, in reality the answer is “none of the above.” Let’s break it down:

Your brand is how your business is perceived by your customer and the elements that create that perception.

So, what is a brand?

Branding, in the most basic sense, is words and images, but it also extends much further than that. It’s how you greet customers, the napkins on the table, the style of your social media updates. It’s everything that goes into the experience your customers have when they come into contact with your business. This includes tangible and intangible elements. We break down your brand into the following six elements:

Brand voice
Brand identity
Brand promise
Brand values
Brand targeting
Brand positioning

Let’s explore each of these a little further….

Six Elements of a Brand

Brand Voice

Brand voice is the consistent personality and emotion that you infuse into your company’s communications. It helps to humanise your brand. It showcases your values and distinguishes you from competitors. Your voice is your brand’s steady personality that your customers know and love.

Brand Identity

Brand identity refers to aspects of your company that are recognisable in the eyes of your customers. Brand identity often includes your company’s colour palette, logo, and fonts/lettering, as well as how you visually present yourself on social media and through your company website. Brand identity also refers to your company’s physical presentation, including how you design your packaging and other tangible aspects of your brand.

Brand Promise

Your brand promise is all about how you articulate the unique value that your business provides customers with. This includes your company’s vision and mission statements as well as your brand principles and value proposition. A brand promise sets customer expectations and holds your company accountable to meeting them. The more aligned your company’s actions are with your brand promise, the more trust and loyalty you will cultivate.

Brand Values

Brand values are the guiding principles and beliefs that your company stands for. By articulating your values and aligning your brand with something bigger and more meaningful than yourself, your customers will see that your brand is relatable and real. This truth extends far beyond just your product and service offerings. Don’t know where to start when it comes to identifying your brand values? Get in touch and we can help you identify what values are important to you and your product offering.

Brand Targeting

Brand targeting means determining what segment of the market you want to reach. This includes segmenting your target market by identifying the characteristics of your target customer. This can be divided into several components. These include age, geographic location, and income level. It also includes behavioural and personality traits, such as reasons for buying the product and purchasing habits.

Brand Positioning

Finally, brand positioning refers to where your brand stands in the market in the eyes of consumers, including how your brand differs from industry competition. Positioning takes targeting a step further. It involves strategising your marketing efforts to ensure that your tactics are the most effective in reaching the targeted market segment. Brand positioning also means developing a brand voice that will help you stand out in a busy marketplace.

If you’re thinking that you haven’t yet defined your brand, guess what? Your brand is still being defined in the absence of a strategy. You develop your brand every day through the way you interact with consumers, your company’s beliefs, and the logo on your packaging. Every step that you take to define these six elements of your brand will increase your consistency and trust with customers.