5 Questions to Help You Get to the Heart of Your Brand

When you think about your brand, what comes to mind?

Perhaps color combinations, fonts, and logos, or maybe even a slogan? If so, you’re certainly not off the mark. The elements that make up the visual end of your branding are a powerful tool for customer recognition, and they’re very, very important. We actually just recently introduced a Watermark feature that helps you bring those elements to the forefront of your marketing videos.

But with that said, there’s a distinction between branding and a brand. A visual branding style is only a piece of the overall package of values, vision, and people that comprise your brand as a whole.

If some of this is sounding tough to pin down, that’s what we’re here for! Answer the following five questions and get to the bottom of who your brand is, what you stand for, and how best to share that with your customers.

1. Who is your audience?

First thing’s first. You need to identify the kinds of customers that you want to attract. This may seem like putting the horse before the cart, but the fact is, businesses need to prove themselves to potential customers. You wouldn’t create a product or service without some idea of who would be purchasing it; apply that same logic to your brand. Speak in a voice that’ll resonate with those people. Create marketing materials that’ll grab that group’s attention. Present yourself in a way that appeals to them in particular.

Establishing the “who” behind your target audience is an essential step toward marketing in ways that resonate specifically with the people who are most likely to purchase your products or services. For a deeper dive on identifying your audience, we encourage you to check out our blog post, but for now, on to question two.

2. What makes you unique?

Every business has qualities that distinguish it from others in the space. We mean that. Every single one.

Take a step back and consider, concept of branding aside, what are your main selling points? What do you best? You’ll then need to figure out how to express that to your customers in the voice and style that you think will make the greatest impact with your customers.

As the single most invested person into your business, you very well might be the best person to identify those qualities, but sometimes the people closest to something can have the hardest time picking out these distinctions. If you’re struggling, reach out to your customers and the people around you that you trust for ideas.

3. What are you passionate about?

The things that you’re passionate about are ultimately what will set you apart. People have an innate sense genuine enthusiasm, and it’s an incredibly magnetic quality in a brand. If you want your customers to be excited about your brand, leading by example is the surest fire way to get them on board. Sue Bryce knows this as well as anyone, and we highly recommend watching her speak about how important positive attitude and energy are in business.

It’s also going to make your life a whole lot easier to emphasize the things that mean something to you. Figure out what gets you excited to come to work every day, and make that a central component of your brand.

4. Who are the people behind your brand?

Speaking of qualities that set your business apart, the people who make up your business, yourself included, are one thing that no other other brand can boast.

Showcasing the people who come to work every day to make things happen for your customers will humanize your brand and give you the opportunity to inject some variety and personality into your marketing.

As much as an established brand gives customers a better chance to understand and get to know you, people ultimately relate with people. It’s the same principle that drives brands to hire spokespeople. When it makes sense to do so, including yourself or employees in your marketing gives potential customers a friendly face to connect with, and can ultimately be a powerful differentiator for your brand. If you’re looking for more on building a personal brand for your business, we’ve got a blog for that.

5. What channels make sense for you?

Establishing your voice on the channels that make sense for your business can take some trial and error, but a good place to start is figuring out where your customers are. If you’re going after a younger audience, developing a Snapchat and Instagram Story presence could be vital. For the widest potential group, stick with Facebook.

Once you’ve identified where your customers are, you need to decide what makes sense for your business. Animoto, for instance, doesn’t have a large presence on Snapchat, as its not known for catering to business owners, but we are growing our YouTube presence to provide our business customers with more helpful tips and guidance.

Questions for us?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you should be well on your way to understanding what your brand represents, and how you want to share it with the world. We’ll also take this opportunity to remind you about our contest, with Animoto for life up for grabs, along with gadgets and swag, you can find out more about that here. And last but not least, join our Facebook group for feedback, resources, and inspiration from fellow group video creators.