15 Creative and Unique Branding Ideas to Boost Your Business
Introduction
We can all recall that one tune which, even if bordering on annoying, has sometimes been stuck in our heads, rising to our lips unbidden. Such is the charm of making something unforgettable- giving it a personality and charisma that makes it hard to look away because, let’s face it, simply having an excellent product or service is not enough in today’s saturated market and intensely competitive advertising space.
Thus, the need for unique branding ideas that will deliver your business from simply manufacturing products to crafting a lifestyle. In this branding boot camp, we tell you how to bring about that pizazz and leave your stamp on the minds and hearts of thousands.
The importance of branding
Think of your brand as your company’s rockstar persona that does the serenading. It’s what people remember, makes them connect with you, and sets you apart from the crowd of air guitarists. Having a strong brand identity can put you in a league of your own, minimizing more than half the competition. Branding is more than just a fancy logo, a pop of colours and a full-feathered peacock dance. It is a crystallization of the values at the core of your business, a reflection of your vision, an element of consistency and coherence from the packaging to the social media posts, all essential to long-term success in any industry.
It is impossible to run a successful company without being innovative. In today’s world, businesses of all kinds face fierce competition. Even businesses with heavy investments fail because they have not branded or placed their products effectively in the market. Apple is the most cliche example given when it comes to understanding product placement. Their products are perceived as value for money which is very difficult for other brands to crack. It is essential that the product and the price go hand in hand to deliver complete satisfaction to the customers.
- Nurtures loyalty: Branding makes fans of purchasers. Such is the credibility of a strong brand image that its items become a prized possession, something to flaunt and boast about. This also boosts referrals, as loyal customers are immensely prone to recommend your products and services to their family, friends and followers.
- Enhanced brand value: With the right combination of quality products and unique branding ideas, you can improve your brand recognition by differentiating it from the sea of other businesses. A consistent brand image can shoot up revenue by up to 33%. The resultant brand value can drive investors and potential customers, also allowing you to comfortably raise price margins on the promise of quality.
- Sparks an emotional connect: More than 70% of buyers are reported to lean towards brands they feel an emotional connection with. With the right messaging and campaigning, you can hold great sway over how you make your audiences feel happy, empowered, beautiful, and so on. On the other end of this, strong branding also factors in employee motivation to deliver their best in maintaining that brand image and thrive in its goodwill.
15 unique branding ideas you should try
1. Create a personality: A charismatic personality draws in hoards, inspires, revolutionizes and builds loyalty. Make sure your brand has got one. How? While the power of cute is certainly never to be underestimated, you don’t necessarily have to think in terms of a plushie mascot. Design an archetype that encapsulates your brand values. Like the Apple visionary, your activewear line can be represented by a skateboarding grandma who rescues dogs.
2. In-person experiences: People crave experiences that are intimate and able to break through social media saturation! Create pop-up shops with interactive elements, host workshops or events related to your brand, or sponsor activities that align with your values. With a simple AI Photobooth installation at pop-up stores or a VR Gaming experience at a mall, you can make a statement about your people-centered approach.
3. Personalize your content: Build authenticity by lending your brand a human touch and allowing your prospective consumer group’s needs to find a voice in your campaigning. Ask questions, localize your content by partnering with influencers, famous cafes and so on.
4. Build credibility: And how, you ask? Embrace feedback, evolve and learn. And let this journey reflect in your brand’s storytelling. Remember Dove’s advertising being thoroughly people-centered, enlisting multiple generations of a family to drive home their popularity? Ditch the filters and get real, and leverage the already cemented consumer base you have to pull in new ones.
5. Drive that hook: Like your favourite Christmas jingle or a killer hook of an omnipresent song, your brand could do with a catchy slogan or a campaign hashtag. Think of Nike’s “Just Do It” or M&M’s “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands” which have resonated with millions and embody the spirit of these brands. Create a slogan that sticks, something that makes for funny personal takes, witty captions and can grow to become a way of life.
6. Social strategy: Social media is the present and it’s guaranteed to be the future. Here is your big stage of absolute importance that every brand has a revised and organized social strategy with clear calls to action and metrics to look out for. Use it to showcase your brand personality, connect with your audience, and create shareable content. Run contests, host live Q&As or partner with other content creators.
7. Content creation: Social media is not enough. Blogging about your business segment helps you place your brand at an elevated level and helps you form an authority over your target audience as an expert on the subject. Blogging helps you gain great traction on search engines as well.
8. Build a community: When you place your audience’s concerns, aspirations and dreams at the center of your advertising, you can invite them to share their stories. Such branding, that is storytelling-driven and ultimately prompts user-generated content to do your bidding, can create enriching, diverse spaces of exchange. The point is to build a community, extend reach and streamline that added buzz to pay more attention to your products and services.
9. Capture other senses: Besides the obvious visual component of branding, it’s also important to diversify into engaging people’s other senses. Maybe your laundry products all have a signature sense, or your stores play a specific kind of music. All of that contributes towards refining the contours of your brand.
10. Optimize email marketing: Tailor your emails to stand out in people’s inboxes by responding to their needs. Create a sense of exclusivity, provide early sneak-peeks, special offers and extensive catalogues, alongside newsletters and custom recommendations.
11. Connect with your audience: Identify what they hold close. Drive conversations. Employ a custom hashtag to help them gain traction across different platforms. A hashtag campaign is an incredibly powerful tool that can be a component of your social media marketing and also bolster your in-person events. By setting up a Social Wall or a Hashtag Printer doling out branded souvenirs at selected stores, pop-ups, and other occasions, you can motivate attendees to participate.
12. Employ banner ads: The more obvious the better. Ads across platforms like Facebook and Instagram are indispensable to promote your brand and to be in the know.
13. Embrace social responsibility: Learn from how the biggest corporations do it, giving back to the society that’s made them. Start small- be transparent about your work practices, promote a healthy work ethic and environment, support locally-resourced products and adopt sustainability. Once you’ve ingrained this into the way your business functions, take time to spread awareness about the same.
14. Create a reward system: Already a widespread practice in the world of e-commerce, a reward system does more than drive repeat purchases. It is a token of your brand trying to give back. Additionally, by introducing tiers and gamifying the process, you also create a community of people with similar interests and provide a sense of exclusivity, which is great for a brand.
15. Honest performance analysis: Analyzing your past performance with utmost honesty is of utmost importance. Only if you analyze will you be able to set future goals and decide what works for your brand and what does not. Make sure you revisit your company brochure, visiting card, logo and all the marketing essentials to update them periodically.
Conclusion
Remember, branding is an ongoing process that is built brick-by-brick. As your company evolves, so should your brand. Keep it fresh, keep it engaging, and keep it rocking with a positive brand perception! With a little creativity and these amazing unique branding ideas, you can transform your brand from a background melody to a chart-topping hit. So grab your metaphorical microphone and start belting out your brand message!
