When you hear the word ‘brand’ what springs to mind? Your logo…right? Nearly, but not quite. Your logo is only a small part of your brand whereas your brand is the essence of your business.

Let me explain. Businesses are a lot like people, with different personalities and characteristics. For example, does your name and hair colour define who you are? No, it’s a way people recognise you but it doesn’t define you. What does define you? Well, your personality, your values, your relationships, your accent, your humour, your style, even your dreams.

And thats the same for your business. If you have a business name and logo then that’s great, people have a way of recognising you, but don’t stop there. To build strong, loyal connections you have to define your business’s personality, values, relationships, accent, humour, style and yes you’ve guessed it, even it’s dreams. The personality and characteristic of your business forms a consistent brand people will grow to love.

If you’re sat their thinking ‘where do I even start’, believe it or not you already know the answers. Maybe you just need guidance in detangling the detail.

For now let’s focus on your brand’s personality. Just as I did earlier, the easiest way to do this is to imagine your business as a person. Everyone you know has a unique personality, it’s what makes you like or even dislike them. It can be difficult to build a personality from scratch which is why I recommend you exploring brand archetypes. Brand archetypes are a great way of identifying your business’s personality, exploring which archetype marries with your values can help you define a personality. Read more about archetypes in another blog I wrote ‘channelling brand emotion’.

Creating a personality for your business is only the start, you need to be consistent with it to make an impact, otherwise you will confuse customers and end up pushing them away. We already live in a chaotic world and wherever we look we are being influenced by brands, don’t push potential customers away by confusing them. Read more about the impact of consistency in my blog ‘consistency is key’.

Your brand will attract your ideal customer, just like if you are in a crowded room and you hear someone with the same humour and opinions to you, you’re automatically drawn to spending time with them. If your customers are drawn to your brand, you’re standing out from the competitive crowd without begging for attention.

The next time you hear the word ‘brand’, what’s going to spring to mind?