If you want your business to connect with your ideal audience this is how to bring your unique brand personality to life on your website, and stand out in your industry.
Before we get started, let’s quickly go over the basics of what defines a business and what defines a brand.
A BUSINESS
This provides a product, service or experience to the community. Something that will help someone get someone from their current situation, to their desired outcome.
A BRAND
A brand provides something intangible, an identity or feeling. People talk about your brand, because they have a positive association with it and feel like they’re a part of a community.
A great example of similar yet very different brands are two Australian Airline companies, Qantas & Virgin.
These are two businesses that have the same flight service from Melbourne to Sydney. They use the same brand colours of red and white. You travel from A to B on the same aeroplane make and model. And they have the same processes like check-in, security, staff numbers and access to the plane.
But they have very different brand personalities & messaging for their service. One is about history, prestige and reliability, while the other is modern, youthful and playful. One charges high-end rates while the other is more competitive.
See what brands can do?
As you’re a small business owner and don’t have the same budget of the big airlines, you might be thinking this isn’t possible for you, but it is…
How do you bring your business offer and brand feel together for your business?
As a business owner, you understand the importance of having a website that is professional and aesthetically pleasing to attract new clients, show your business personality and create a sense of trust with them.
However, it can be hard to stand out from others when you’re in a highly saturated industry (like marketing, for example). One way to differentiate your brand is by infusing your website with your unique brand personality, colours, fonts and voice. For my business, I differentiate from others in my industry by being kind, empathetic and removing the jargon most other website agencies use, and overwhelm their audience. By being different from the majority I’m able to stand out from a crowd of tech bros and jargon junkies.
Your brand personality is what makes your business relatable and memorable to your customers. Your point of difference.
So let me share with you five creative ways to bring more of your unique brand personality to your website so you’re just as memorable to your audience as your favourite brands are to you.
Use your branding across your website using colour, fonts, messaging, and visuals.
While you’re adding your brand styles, think of how you want your audience to think & feel about your business.
Are you are corporate & clean, or casual & colourful? Are you a youthful brand attaching yourself to the latest experimental trends? Or are you classic and regal? All of these aesthetics are so important in relying to your audience who you are, so they can understand who you are, and if done well, identify themselves with your brand. This is where the loyalty to your brand begins.
Make sure the colours your using speak to your target audience about the experience they can expect while working with you.
Colours tell a customer who your brand is before even reading a word or looking at an image. If you’re not sure what i mean, check out this article on colour theory. For example, pink is associated with feminine qualities, softness and caring qualities. As red is associated with power, prestige and more masculine qualities. Greens are earthy, calming and are associated with eco-friendly brands, but on the flip-side fluorescent green can create a sense of energy and excitement. Have a look at your brand colours and see what message your brand is telling your clients.
Fonts speak to your audience too.
Above I mentioned some brand identities like classic and regal, for these brands you’d more likely use a serif or script font that looks more olde worlde or like handwriting. These fonts show your audience that your brand is a heritage, generational family-owned or that your values honour that time. Think National Trust or Heritage buildings, Whiskey distilleries or a hipster shaving and beard oil company.
Use the DIY Website Design Checklist to feel prepared as you begin your website design process. Visit the online store to purchase.
Brand Voice and Messaging
Your brand style also encompasses your tone of voice, values, personality and characteristics that make your brand unique. When defining your brand style, consider your target audience and what type of personality will resonate with them.
What do I mean by this?
The tone of your voice when writing content needs to match your desired audiences way of talking, their tone & approach towards a topic, this will allow them to connect with your brand.
If you’re a start-up business in the tech industry or a youthful brand like FrankBody, your tone will more likely be casual, playful and fast-paced. You’re more likely to use words that are on trend, jargon or industry specific words, this will allow the audience you want to attract to your business a chance to see you as ahead of the trends & a source to follow or be a part of something “cool”.
Compared to a NFP working with disadvantaged families facing homelessness, your tone would be more corporate, considered and empathetic. They would more likely use words that are formal, emotive and fact-based. This tone is appropriate for this brand as you will be asking your community for support & money so you will need them to trust you and consider you responsible.
Have a think about how you communicate with your audience?
How do you think they’d describe your business by listening to your tone of voice or reading articles you’ve written? Do you attract the people you want to attract? Even if some marketing channels require a change in tone (e.g. Instagram vs Linkedin), would your audience still be able to recognise it’s you?
Once you’ve defined your brand styles, ensure that it is consistently reflected across all of your marketing channels such as your website’s copy, visuals like colour fonts & graphics, design layout and aesthetics. Bring your brand alive by considering these areas of your business & making modifications.
Have a clear idea on what you offer, understand how you are different (& the same) as your competitors, and what you want your audience to think, feel and associate with your business.
It’s time to understand why your audience are choosing you, and returning to your business instead of looking up a competitor.
For me, I know my clients like that I am reliable, efficient and can do the difficult tech stuff for them. And how do I know this? They tell me everytime we work together. They also sare with me past experiences where someone offering the same service was not able to do this.
So what are your clients telling you time and time again? Why do they choose to work with you over others in your industry? How does your approach & service offerings make them feel?
Showcase your brand personality through content creation
Content creation is an excellent way to do just this. Demonstrate to your ideal audience what it would be like to work with you. Share the things you wish they knew, the things you want to them prepare & the things they can easily action themselves .
Looking at the brand elements we discussed above, you’ll now need to put them together to develop your brand personality, so they will see and be able to identify your business across the many marketing platforms.
By creating content that is unique to your brand your audience will feel like they’re a part of something, a cult-like feeling. Make your content engaging, while you demonstrate your brand’s values, voice, and perspective. This is so important in showing how you are different from your competitors.
Use your blog to share tips & insights, industry-specific thought leadership, or entertaining content that aligns with your brand personality.
Are you here to entertain, or educate? Discuss big ideas, or breakdown complex terms? Whatever’s your approacc is, its what makes you different. Embrace it.
The more attention these get from your audience due to helping solve a need, create conversation or make them want to share it with their friends or networks the better! Use social media platforms to share your content, connect with your audience and potentially go viral.
Use visuals to express your brand personality
Visuals, such as images and video, can help express your brand personality. Use images, icons, illustrations and videos that align with your brand style to create a visual representation of your brand. Visuals can also convey a message that can be hard to describe. Use your brand colors, typography, and graphic design elements to bring to life your offering to your audience and accurately present your brand’s unique personality.
Incorporate brand personality into your website design
Design plays a crucial role in communicating your brand personality. Like I mentioned above there are brand elements such as typography, color schemes, and graphics that share with your audience who you are as a brand, and when applied to your website it will represent your brand to your audience exactly how you intended.
Additionally, consider the overall layout of your website, and ensure that it is intuitive, easy to navigate, and consistent with your brand’s personality (i.e. quirky or clear, playful or corporate etc.)
Use a guide on how to use your brand across all your different marketing channels. Consistent styles, personality and messaging allows your audience to get to know you.
Use other marketing items to emphasize your brand personality
In addition to your website, other marketing items can help emphasize your brand personality. Use email marketing, social media, and other channels to share content that is consistent with your brand style. Additionally, consider creating branded merchandise or hosting events that align with your brand’s values and personality.
In conclusion, your brand personality is a crucial component of your business, and it is important to infuse it into your website. By defining your brand style, showcasing your brand personality through content creation, visuals, and design, you can create a website that accurately reflects your brand and resonates with your target audience. Remember to stay true to your brand’s unique personality, and continually assess and refine your website to ensure that it accurately represents your brand over time.
So I’ll ask you again, when it comes to your business, how do you want your audience to feel? Are you ready to create a beautiful website for your business & turn it into a memorable brand?
I hope you found this post helpful, and you’re now excited to start creating your new website for your businesses new website or website redesign.
I’ve made you this moodboard board that will make the process of creating your moodboard so much easier! Here’s the FREE Moodboard Board to get you started.
If you want more tips or advice follow me on Instagram or on most other social media channels via @nataliefaithwebdesigns – I share lots of research, tips and client wins for online business so they can grow their businesses and attarct their dream clients.
