What Does Your Brand Identity Say?
Brand identity.
Just like with people, the stronger your identity is, the more memorable you are. The more confident about who you are and what you stand for, the more meaningful your connection with others is. The more vulnerable and transparent you are, the more approachable and relatable you are. On the flip side, it’s way too much work - and not worth the effort - trying to force yourself to be somebody you’re not.
The same is true with your corporate identity. The goal isn’t to have everybody like you, but rather to have a segment of customers who really get you, and thus be fiercely loyal to you.
Let’s talk about how your corporate identity and culture gets expressed through your brand and how it can be your mouthpiece to:
Your workforce (instill pride),
Your clients (insight enthusiasm),
And your competitors (strike fear).
A strong brand identity moves the needle in all significant brand categories (sustainability, credibility, relevance and consistency). One avenue that often gets overlooked is identifying the main feeling you want your audience to experience when they interact with your brand and the persuasion mechanism you use to evoke that feeling.
The Law of Likability
Let’s take humor as an example. Many brands try and use humor to connect. Whether it be through whimsy in their design, being clever in their writing or light-hearted in their represented culture, everyone likes to laugh. And connecting through humor is very bonding. So if your brand is using humor as the mechanism for emotional connection, what principle of persuasion is behind that? The law of likability.
Dozens of research studies have confirmed that outside of any evidence of quality or function, we will chose things just because we like them. The most powerful aspects of likability are physical attractiveness (think supermodels selling Carl’s Jr burgers) and similarity (think ‘buy local’). While the idiom ‘opposites attract’ may ring true in some contexts, it doesn’t in buying patterns. We like to buy from people we perceive to be similar to us in terms of interests, opinions, personality, background, etc. This is why your About Us and Team pages are often the most viewed on your website. Potential customers want to get a look at you and get to know you, see if they like you before they decide they might want to buy from you.
The Law of Authority
What about expertise?
This is often the leading brand communication strategy for professional services firms. They produce thought leading content that solidifies their authority and reliability within their respective field. This creates a feeling of trust within their target audience, and trust is a powerful persuasion tactic. The law of authority to be exact. The idea that people follow the lead of credible, knowledgeable experts.
While industry leading content creation is an excellent way to engender feelings of trust, there are simpler ways too. Displaying your advanced degree diplomas on your office walls, listing your titles and specialized trainings in your email signature and online profiles. These simple displays of authority are highly effective persuasion strategies.
The Law of Social Proof
Let’s look at one more. How can you most effectively make your customers feel safe and reassured about selecting your service or product? What brand strategy makes people feel confident about their buying decision?
The law of social proof, or consensus. Basically, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Rather than relying on our own ability to persuade, we can point to what other people are saying and doing. This is especially powerful for professional services firms where customers are often uncertain about what and whose service to use. The science is telling us that especially when uncertain, people will look to the actions and behaviors of others to determine their own. In case you need a little more convincing, take a look at BrightLocal’s recent survey results:
90% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in the last year, with 33% looking every day
82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with 52% of 18-54-year-olds saying they ‘always’ read reviews
The average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business
Only 53% of people would consider using a business with less than 4 stars
The average consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision
Among consumers that read reviews, 97% read businesses’ responses to reviews
67% of consumers have now been asked to leave a review for a local business - with 24% of these being offered a discount, gift or cash in return
Too often marketers start with the strategy instead of the emotion. Remember to look at your brand identity from the ground up. First, what feeling do you want your customers to have when they interact with your brand? Then, what does that emotion trigger in terms of persuasive behavior. Lastly, what marketing tactics and channels can you use to capitalize on that influence?
Stay tuned for more insights on the remaining laws of persuasion.