Understanding Branding

Understanding Branding

As of this day, there are lots of Digital Marketing Agencies that offer branding services, such as brand strategy and brand design and identity. We at SEMA Brands often hear the following frequently asked questions, which you might find helpful as well:

• 1- What is brand strategy?
• 2- What are branding design and identity?
• 3- What is the difference between brand strategy and identity?

We have provided below brief descriptions of these terminologies to help you understand the difference between brand strategy & identity and a short roadmap of how it works.

Brand Strategy

A digital marketing agency helps business owners to create a holistic plan crafted to help them reach long-term business goals. These include but are not limited to the following:

• What is your business mission and vision
• What is the demographic of your target clients
• What sets you apart from your competitors

Thorough market research and study is a precedence in this activity; only after having a deep understanding of the business and its competitors will bring out a successful and beneficial marketing strategy.

Branding Design and Identity

Your brand identity should demonstrate the plan drawn out from your brand strategy. Digital marketing agencies help clients create a unique, recognizable brand identity and extraordinary branding design for their business. 

Creating a brand strategy is no longer an effort to generate a monetary return for the business, it should sum up why your business exists. An increase in sales is just a short-term goal however, the long-term target should be to create a brand for your business to stand out and penetrate the market for a wider reach. 

In simple words, brand identity is expressed through creativity, while brand strategy is through strategic thinking. Identity is when designers create the visual image to represent the company, on the other hand, brand strategy is a series of research and discovery steps made to position a brand or company in the eyes of the consumer. Brand strategy and brand identity both have a mission to create a perception of what a company is all about, what it stands for, and who they represent, and it shows why this business exists beyond making money.

HOW TO CREATE A NAME FOR THE BRAND EFFECTIVELY

• Originality

Being original is not easy, but it is crucial when starting a new business as a start-up. You have to drive people to notice you, don’t be afraid to start over and over again until you get the right one for you. Generate a whole cluster of names, do not exclude any ideas during this brainstorming process. It is more about the free flow of ideas and your imagination.

• Long-term

One thing you do not want to do is create a name that will be outdated or irrelevant as time pass by, that is a common mistake. Do not use a name that is popular now but might not be in the trend in the near future or name that is very specific that may not be applicable for your business in the future as your business expands, always look forward for all possibilities when thinking of your brand name.  For example, your company only sells women’s apparel however, you may expand and add a men’s line, in the future and it’s probably a good idea to name your company that is not specifically for women’s only.

• Story

Consider your company’s story and what makes it different as you brainstorm. If you are a service-based business think about including the work “service/s” in your brand name as it may be helpful to your audience to identify your company. Make sure your brand is memorable, keep it simple, and don’t overcomplicate it. Choose a name that can help people find you quickly to put you ahead of the game.

• Availability

If you want your company name in your website URL, make sure that it is also available in a dot-com forum. If you do not know how to do it, you need not stress because there are tools for you to check if your domain is available. If it is not yet setup, you still have plenty of options such as adding a word to the start or end of your name.  

Whether you have finalized your business name or not, we are here to help. Let our capable team help you build your brand,  you can check out our website https://www.semabrands.com to help you get started.