If you have started a business, before developing your brand strategy to gain visibility and position it, it is key that you shape its personality.
Now you will surely think, ‘do companies have personality?’ Yes, and that is the objective of the term that we will deal with here today; corporate identity.
The more personality a company has, the more it will differ from another that is similar (that has a similar public or that offers the same service). And that should be your challenge, identify what makes it special and different from the rest and find its essence.
So today we will help you build the personality of your company, as well as give you some key tips to define your corporate identity so that your customers identify you right away and you are enduring in their minds.
What is Corporate Identity?
Corporate identity is the personality and DNA of a company. That is to say, the sum of its particularities, of its beliefs and values, is what differentiates it from another. Therefore, these are intangible elements that identify an entity and that make a consumer become a follower of that brand.
And it is that just as people have a personality, companies were not going to be less. Companies have a history, values, norms, a culture or a way of expressing themselves.
But, in addition to all this, companies have a logo, a website, social networks… And all of this is what encompasses their corporate identity.
But we should not confuse this term with corporate image. Corporate identity is something that is controlled from within the entity, since what is intended is to give a positive impression (or the one you want from within). While the corporate image is the sum of perceptions that the public creates around that brand.
For example, if we take it to the personal field, you will see it much more clearly. As a general rule, we like to make a good impression on people and to like them. However, even if we try, not everyone gets a positive perception of us.
Benefits of having a corporate identity in your company
Working on an identifiable corporate identity in your company will allow you to:
- Be easily remembered by your customers (real or potential).
- Climb a step of preference in the user’s mind.
- Provide visual and communicative coherence.
- Increase brand reputation and trust.
- Differentiate yourself from your competition with visual elements.
5 Tips and steps to define the corporate identity of your company
Whether you want to renew your logo or create a new network channel (whatever the new strategy you want to implement in your business), corporate identity is something you should always keep in mind to give coherence to your brand and not make your public.
These are the keys and advice that you should consider to define the corporate identity of your company:
1. Establish a corporate philosophy
The first step to move forward and start building the DNA of a company is to be clear about who you are and what you do, how you do it and where you want to go. In other words, the mission, vision and values of the company must be well defined, since based on them, you will be able to make important decisions about your business.
- Mission: it is the reason for being of your company (what it does and what you are).
- Vision: the objectives you want to achieve (this will help you establish the actions to reach the goal).
- Values: the principles and limits on which you base yourself (which allows you to act following a code or guidelines).
2. Create your visual identity
To represent all of the above, you must visually project the identity of your company. The objective is not only to transmit a philosophy and values, but also to excite and create experiences, because nowadays the consumer wants to live new sensations and experience emotional journeys.
For all this, in this process all these visual elements will have to be worked on:
- Commercial name: when choosing a name, also look for the domain possibilities that are free, since this is essential to give a good image.
- Logo – This should fit both online and offline channels. And you should study well which one best represents your business, taking into account the typography and color.
- Typography and color: think about the typography and color that you use in your logo, since you will have to play with them later on your website to give coherence to your brand and give it a unique personality.
- Stationery: catalogs, business cards, flyers or posters are elements that must also maintain the personality of the brand.
- Packaging : this is one of the elements that most influences users’ purchasing decisions, since it awakens in them unique stimuli and sensations through shapes, colors, and even smells.
3. Prepare your corporate identity manual
The next step, after creating the visual identity of the company, will be to reflect in the corporate identity manual how to use each one of them in different supports (car wraps, commercial brochures, business cards, etc.), guaranteeing visual coherence. and at the same time communicative of the brand.
In short, having a corporate identity manual will make it easier for you to know, for example, how to use a logo for a specific commercial application (with what color and following an established rule explained in said document).
4. Make a communication plan
Another important point in the corporate identity of a company is to set a tone of voice, which is in line with the brand’s reason for being. If your audience is young and uses informal language, your tone of voice should be fun and fresh. But if instead, you have a serious and older audience, your tone should be more measured.
Whether you choose a more formal or informal tone of voice, it is important that the one you choose is maintained over time.
Otherwise, you will give an image that is not clear where it is going and that will be perceived by your public as something negative, affecting your reputation.
5. Control what they say about you
Take advantage of the channels you use to communicate with your audience (blog, forums, social networks) to find out what and how they are talking about you.
If you’ve worked out your corporate identity well, you won’t have much to worry about. Your brand will be appreciated by your public and your online reputation will be on the right track.
In addition, it is good to work on the reputation of a brand because it influences SEO positioning.
Do you see now how important it is that any company of any type has a defined identity? Transmitting to your audience what you want them to know about your business will be key to providing the entity with characteristics that will make it stand out and position itself in the mind of the consumer.
