Often overlooked, a business brand’s personality is an essential factor when it comes to having people engage with your company. No matter whether your image is professional, innovative, playful or everything in-between; making the right choice about your internal and external branding can make a massive difference.
While the modern marketplace may be experiencing significant disruption, now is the perfect time to reflect on your business brand and better understand where you potentially need to improve. This can be as simple as small changes or adjustments to your messaging right through to a wholesale redesign of your branding that places you where you need to be in regard to your competitors.
So, how exactly can you use interior branding to refine your identity and what options are available when it comes to making changes to how your brand is perceived?
What is your business brand?
Your unique business brand is the way in which you identify your company and stand out in a crowded marketplace. Made up from a number of elements including your logo, value proposition, ethos, and more; it is the sum total of everything your business has to offer.
And it’s exceedingly difficult to accumulate and even harder to change.
This makes it essential to take the time to properly think through what your brand represents and take every possible action to consolidate it. This will include deciding on your external and internal elements such as office design, marketing materials, staff clothes, business approach and much more.
How does a ‘personality’ figure in?
One of the most ephemeral parts of your brand is the ‘personality’ that your proposition represents.
Hard to define, this represents the concept of your brand in the minds, eyes, and hearts of consumers. In practical terms, this can be boiled down to set keywords. For example, Disney may be cute, creative, child-friendly, and entertaining. Nike could be perceived as high-quality, professional, performance-led, and practical. Or Nintendo can be seen as innovative, fun, family-led, and high-quality.
Defining these adjectives can be an extremely difficult process, but most brands are defined by five key personality traits. These include-
Competence: How good is the brand at setting out and completing its goals?
Sincerity: Is the brand trustworthy or is it inauthentic?
Excitement: Is it possible to get pumped up about this brand and are they excited about the work they are doing?
Sophistication: Which social strata or level of consumption is the brand suitable for. Is it for everyday use or high-end for elite customers?
Toughness: How resilient and capable is the brand? Can it take a few knocks and keep going or is it a flash in the pan company with no legs?
What elements can I change or tweak?
When it comes to refining your brand personality, there are a number of important elements that you should take time to consider. These include, but are not limited to-
Outside and In: While it’s essential to engage with your audience, in-house practice and team dynamics are often left out of the loop. Applying branding changes to your internal spaces through posters, signage, or changes to uniforms can help show others what your brand personality is. Starting with a change to your internal branding is a vital first step that brings change to every arm of your business. And, once in place, your teams can go on to represent your company with clarity and confidence.
Checking your Copy: While public perception is impossible to control, the one key factor you do manage is your voice. Take some time to review your marketing materials and copy, taking a look at the language and tone you use. Once you understand the ‘personality’ you are trying to acquire, make changes to your layouts, text, and methodology over time. Getting your voice right through internal releases and memos can help ensure that people understand how they are expected to communicate in the months and years ahead.
Market, Market, Market: First and foremost, it is important to start advertising and do so yesterday. A renewed, targeted campaign can help you steadily change the perception of your brand. This can involve guerrilla style events to capture press attention, engaging with your clients directly to help co-create value, or putting up dedicated signage and materials. Provided that you are focused and validate each step, this can quickly bring a wealth of benefits.
Find out more
If you want to learn more about managing or improving your business brand through your use of signage, our team at Sisu Projects is here to help. With many years’ experience working with a range of clients, our team understands the importance of bespoke care and giving business the support they need when it comes to improving their image.
You can view our full list of signage options here and here you can take a look at our case studies of recent projects. If you have specific questions or queries, you can contact us directly and let a member of our in-house team know exactly what you need to improve your brand and all your personality to shine through.