All articles Doofinder > Blog > Marketing > Unforgettable brand image: how to create it and attract thousands of loyal clients Unforgettable brand image: how to create it and attract thousands of loyal clients Abigail Bosze 6 min CONTENTS Have you ever guessed the brand that was being advertised before seeing the end of the ad or the product itself? This is Unforgettable Brand Image This is brand imaging in action. When you work on this concept, clients will be able to identify your brand more easily. But, is this for everyone? Can you also use it even if you are just a small e-commerce? Of course you can. Although you are not a big multinational company such as Apple, Nike, or Red Bull, you can also create an image that makes you stand out among your competitors. To prove it, just remember the Mr. Wonderful success case. Don’t worry if you don’t even know where to start. In today’s post we will explain everything you need to know about brand imaging and how you can start to create it. Let’s get to work! What is a brand image? Let’s start with the basics: what it is and why you need to have a brand image. According to its widespread definition, this concept refers to the impression of a brand identity held by real or potential consumers. We are not done defining a concept when we already have a new one to define. Let’s see the difference between brand identity and image. Brand identity: visible elements of our brand in the different channels we use. Brand image: emotions and feelings that our brand evokes in the audience. Be careful, because what we want to transmit and what the audience gets don’t always correlate. Let’s analyze an example. Red Bull’s brand identity is the combination of its logo, the corporate colors, their slogan… However, its brand image is the combination of the values and feelings that they transmit: adventure, risk, overcoming, energy… Red Bull doesn’t sell drinks, it sells excitement and adrenaline. Benefits of creating a brand image As a long-term strategy, alongside all the challenges and difficulties, we will have all these advantages: Differentiation: a brand image is a non-replicable, intangible good, i.e., nobody can copy it. Anyone could make a soft drink as good as or even better than Coca Cola; but they would never get the most important thing: to be in everyone’s head. Reputation: a solid brand image is always associated with prestige. A consolidated path is the foundation of a good brand reputation. Higher prices: when you add a unique value and your brand is a benchmark in its field, you have a bigger margin to charge higher prices. Loyalty: consumers love brands. Many become brand evangelists without getting anything from it. Feeling aligned with the brand’s values is essential. New releases: having the recognition and a loyal audience is like playing as the home side. Whenever you release a new product, they’re already open to it. What really makes the difference in a brand is what it makes you feel, the emotions that it transmits and the values associated with it. What’s the value that Coca Cola tries to transmit? They have always tried to be the happiness drink. Now they are also trying to be associated with healthy food. What does Apple try to evoke? Quality and innovation. And Nike? Overcoming and effort. If you feel like some of these values represent you, it would be normal for you to empathize with these brands and, therefore, you would prefer their products to those of another company. Differences between brand image and branding Is brand image the same thing as branding? Even though they are normally used as synonyms, they are not the same. Whereas the first one refers to the concept or idea, the second is used to talk about the strategy we use to try to improve our brand image. Branding strategies include any action taken to improve our brand. For example: A new web design Collaboration with influencers Joint actions with other brands Events sponsorship Etc. One brand that uses sponsorship in order to reinforce their brand image a lot is Red Bull. Have a look at this video: What you have just seen is Felix Baumgartner’s jump with which he broke the sound barrier. Obviously, for a brand whose slogan is “Red Bull gives you wings”, there wasn’t a better challenge to sponsor. How to create an unforgettable brand image that improves your credibility within your field Before starting to create your brand image, the first thing you have to do is analyze what you want to transmit. That is to say, you need to find out which values you want your brand to be associated with (for example, as we saw before, Red Bull being associated with extreme sports). Then, you will have to figure out how you are going to transmit those values. You have to choose the elements you are going to use (slogan, content strategy, logo, commercials, message tone, colors…) and how you are going to integrate them. Be careful since at this point you could possibly make a mistake. Your brand is not just your logo or your colors — remember that we are referring to all the feelings that your brand transmits. So, we have to pay attention to the ad as well as to the client’s experience with your products or the client’s customer service through any of the channels. Everything counts. 12 points to look at regarding your e-commerce’s brand image As we just mentioned, everything is important, but since we want you to have a reference, we are going to show you several elements that you should include when creating your brand image. 1. Name and domain If you don’t have it yet, you need to know the basic brand typologies before choosing one. Is it going to be a word related to the product? Is it going to include the keyword to be positioned? Have a look at this post. 2. Colors Colors are one of the aspects you have to take into account the most since they have their own symbolism and evoke certain sensations. However, you don’t always have to follow the traditional patterns. For example, if you have an e-commerce with natural products, you can try to differentiate yourself from the rest by not using the typical green color. However, the ones you choose are sacred and are the ones that you must always use. Choose a main color, a secondary one and a highlight color that stands out for the call-to-action (CTA) and always use the same ones. 3. Corporate Identity Manual This is not an element of your brand image, but it will help you create it. It is a document where you should note all the information related to your image: colors, fonts, sizes, logo, and variations depending on the background… This document will help you maintain coherence for your brand image among all the actions you carry out. 4. Tone of posts What is the style used for your content? A serious and distant tone may transmit professionalism, whereas a more colloquial and slang language could be more appropriate for other types of profiles (for example, young people). Use the same tone in your blog, newsletter, and in all of your content strategy. 5. Web design The design must go along what you want your brand to represent. That is why it is important that you explain all the values that you want to transmit to the designer. Tip: place usability and user experience before a very beautiful, but less effective design. 6. Social networks What you post and share on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram must be in accordance with your identity. When we share something, we are saying that we agree with what we are showing. Another tip: avoid mixing personal opinions with professional ones. 7. Logo Besides the logotype, there are other types of interesting logos: imagetype, isologo, or isotype (this one has several variations). Check all the available options and figure out which one is best for you. For example, having an isotype is always interesting (the M from McDonald’s or the Nike symbol work without having the name with them). In spite of the obvious, your image should work like this. 8. CTA Calls to action in your shop should also be done in the same tone. If you are using a very formal tone, go for buttons with simple messages, but if your tone is informal you can play around with more direct and daring messages. 9. Other applications If you are going to print cards, posters, or any other format types, be extremely careful with your image and respect what your corporate identity manual says, 10. Customer service (also after-sales service) The way you treat your customers says a lot about your brand. Be careful with your communication over all the channels that you have. It is not rare to see how a shop is super-efficient on the phone and then a complete mess on social networks. After making a sale, your brand image is still a thing you should worry about because it is the perfect situation to foster loyalty. 11. Product image We have talked about the brand in general, but the product image must also align with the general image. As with your photos, the product or the product card itself must be coherent with everything else. 12. Packaging When we say that everything counts, we mean it. Because of the unboxing, the way we send our products is more important than ever. If you still don’t know how to package your products, read this post. Are you ready to create your unforgettable brand image? Remember that when you make the effort to establish your brand image, you create a unique value that your competitors will never be able to copy. Let’s get started! FREE EBOOK Online Store Marketing Plan READ IT NOW FREE EBOOKS Increase your eCommerce sales by 20% The 10 largest eCommerce sites in the world How to start an online shop from scratch