Let’s be honest. Sometimes we like things the easy way:
- We like the convenience of a drive-through McDonald’s breakfast.
- We prefer to make mobile purchases with the quick tap of Apple Pay.
- And we would love it if all we had to do to sell DTC products was set up shop on one platform and wait for customers to come rolling in.
But that’s not how shopping in today’s digital world works.
To engage your customers across the buyer's journey, you must be where they are. And that’s everywhere!
Wait. There’s more…
Not only do you need a strong presence online, across social media, and via mobile marketing methods, you also have to nail your brand identity. 🔨
🤔 What do we mean by brand identity?
Providing a consistent branding experience across all platforms, so when consumers see your logo, they instantly recall who you are and what you’re all about.
For example, when you see that black swoosh, you know you’re buying from…We don’t even have to say it…Nike. ✔
Double arches? McDonald's.
Little blue bird? Twitter.
You may be thinking, “but those brands are HUGE and have tons of money to put behind building a consistent brand identity across platforms.” 🤷
That’s true. But even smaller DTC brands can take steps to build a powerhouse brand. 🔥
Here are three essential tips for creating a consistent brand identity for your DTC business.
📕 Create a brand book
Building a DTC brand requires the help of several talented creatives, marketers, and business people — who all have great (but different) ideas.
Even if you have the most talented team in the world, if you don’t have a frame of reference for what your brand is all about… your branding won’t be cohesive.
Before you move forward with any design or marketing, create a brand book. A brand book is like an instruction manual for everyone on your team to follow so that everything coming outta your biz looks and feels the same. 👍
It tells all your team members everything related to your brand, including your vision, mission, logo, colors, fonts, and visuals.
😍 Keep your branding simple and streamlined
Simplicity is essential when it comes to nailing your DTC brand identity. After all, you want your customers to instantly recognize your brand and what it represents.
This means you need to decide on a logo, colors, fonts, and visuals that you will use to represent your company. Remember, simple and easily recognizable is better than intricate.
Once you have a solid and recognizable brand design, it’s essential to streamline your brand across all assets and all platforms.
This means if a customer picks up one of your brochures, goes to your TikTok account, gets a piece of direct mail, or visits your business page on LinkedIn, they will immediately recognize your brand.
🗣 Establish a tone
With the growth of video advertising and marketing in recent years, branding is just as much about tone as it is about visuals.
Part of establishing a consistent brand identity is considering what tone your DTC brand will take in social media videos, on your website, and in your assets.
Take Kicking Horse, for example.
Kicking Horse is like any other premium coffee roaster. You can find the same notes and flavors among their competition, like Lavazza, in stores or online.
But, where Kicking horse stands out and why they’re so popular as a brand is because they’ve nailed their tone. 🐎
Kicking Horse isn’t just coffee.
It’s coffee that embraces their community with a playful and casual tone. If you visit their website, you’ll find comforting flavors, a great story, and a few laughs.
You’ll also find the same tone resonates throughout their product line.
Yes, Kicking Horse is all about roasting great coffee, but they make it fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. 🐴
