Shelley Dee Photography: Building Your Brand & Finding Your Identity {Lifestyle & Wedding Photography} Marin, Napa, Sonoma County Photographer...Shelley Hohe

Welcome to the 2nd part of my 3 part series on "Branding & Rebranding". Yesterday we (my husband & I) blogged about "The Importance of Branding & Rebranding" I personally think one of the most important aspects of branding is identity. How do you portray your identity? By finding your style and creating your logo! So today we will be looking at 3 important tools in building your brand.

1. Branding ~ The idea or image of a specific product or service that consumers connect with. Branding is the the idea and/or concept that holds a company/business together. Therefore it's important to understand that branding is not about getting your target audience to choose you over your competition, but it's about getting your target audience to see you as the only one that provides a product and/or service that best fits their needs.

2. Identity ~ The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand that sets you apart from other businesses. Your business identity is made up of a multiple of visual aspects such as logo design, a custom website, business cards, marketing materials, advertising, stationary and packaging. All of these should be consistent with one another to form brand recognition.

3. Logo ~ The symbol or trademark that identifies your business in it's simplest form. Your logo is an emblem that creates business recognition and perhaps the most vital aspect of top of mind awareness. Your logo is used in all your marketing materials as listed above under identity to promote your business.

Now that we have gone over 3 important tools in building your brand, let's take a look at some business's and companies who have implemented these aspects...

Macy's

Macy's brand is clear and consistent. It grabs the consumers attention! Their brand includes identification which is their color, their logo and slogan. All of these together defines successful branding and creates the experience Macy's wants you to have while shopping in their store. Their color (RED) evokes passion and response...it draws attention! Their logo (The Star) symbolizes success. I must say Macy's is one of my favorite stores to shop at and I personally feel that the star symbolizes the way they want you to feel when their brand comes to mind. The slogan "The Magic of Macy's" delivers a small yet significant message to the consumer. The magic is everywhere...in the store, you get amazing products at amazing prices, their customer service is the best and for me the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...it's a tradition to watch in our family!

Now to give an example of a smaller business...

My husbands business Doctor Detail

My husband has been in the auto restoration business for over 20 years and it was a 15 years ago Doctor Detail came to life. I remember many sleepless nights talking about branding Doctor Detail. My husband didn't want his business to portray a place where your drive through a car wash. He wanted his business to speak professionalism. This is something he went to college for, it's his expertise. Why the name Doctor Detail? He wants his target audience to know and trust that when he works on their car it's no different than a patient going to the doctors. He works on luxury cars, classic cars and special interest forms of transportation such as Harley Davidson, RV's boats and private planes. It was a crucial to create a brand that set him above similar businesses in this industry.

After all this if you are still having a hard time creating a brand for your business, look for things that inspire you. Build an inspiration board of what you want your business to portray. Maybe it's a certain style or colors you like, favorite place, movie or book that has an emotional connection you are wanting your business to reflect. There are so many different ideas, the most important is that it is your idea becoming your BRAND, your IDENTITY, your LOGO!

Tomorrow for our 3rd and final part of this 3 part series in Branding Your Business, I will be explaining the importance of personalizing your business. I will share my inspiration board and other key tools to set your business apart.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!