If your business projects one thing and then delivers another, your brand is not being authentic and let's face it, as customers we hate to be deceived. Do you know your brand's Authentic Colour Personality?
You know when you really connect with someone and it just feels right, it is their authentic self you are connecting with. You know pretty quickly if what they are showing you is the real thing. It's exactly the same with your business.
Each brand has an authentic personality. Some are very clear to see, others aren't. If a brand doesn't feel authentic or consistent you may not know why, it just won't feel right. You may even decide to purchase from one of their competitors, potentially losing them customers.
When your business brand's personality is authentically expressed, your current and potential customers will know:
* exactly what your business brand stands for
* how to choose your services and/or products with confidence
You will also be able to:
* convert prospects to customers quicker
* sell without actually having to 'sell' as they already know what your brand stands for
Brand Emotion
A brand is an emotional association, an emotional connection between your business and your customer. As consumers we are becoming more and more brand savvy. We are buying into personalisation, wanting an emotional connection with a business brand. As human beings we have an innate need to belong to a tribe. Identifying emotionally with a brand has become a way to belong to a tribe.
"A brand isn't a brand to you until it develops an emotional connection with you."
- Daryl Travis, Emotional Branding
The quickest and easier way to emotionally connect with your ideal customers is through the use of colour. And you will want to attract your ideal clients, instead of repelling them. If your brand looks one way yet behaves in another, it will more than likely mean the values the colours are projecting aren't in alignment with those of your business brand.
Brand Values
Brand values are qualities displayed when your business is working at its best. They are qualities you and your staff can uphold. What values are important in the context of your business? We find ourselves instinctively drawn to brands that resonate and uphold the same or similar values to our own. The core values of your business brand can be expressed subconsciously through using the right tone of colour, the right combination and proportion.
"85% of shoppers place colour as a primary reason for when they buy a particular product." - Source: KISSmetrics
Last year a major UK supermarket decided to ditch their own well-known, well recognised brand colours on their home brand products. Surely if your brand is well recognised you would want to maintain that brand recognition? This is only a hunch, but perhaps they thought the only way to successfully launch their new value product range was to distance themselves from the negative association of their existing range.
If consumers saw the same packaging and the same colours, would the range carry the same negative association even though we had been told the quality of the product had improved? Given 85% of shoppers place colour as a primary reason when they buy a product it's highly likely this could happen.
The irony seems to be their own brand colours are no longer of value to them to put on their own value range. It may be worth them reviewing their own brand identity and instilled it throughout the company so their brand colours regain value...
This is a great example of how far a brand may have to go if it projects one thing and then delivers another, your brand is not being authentic and let's face it, as customers we hate to be deceived.
Four Features to Choosing the Right brand Colours for Your Business Brand Personality:
1. Identify your business brand personality by establishing your core business values, aims and principles
2. Select the tonal colour group (colour patterning) that best represent your business brand personality
3. Select the colour or colours whose psychological properties best express your business brand.
4. Be aware the impact of the colours can change when colours are combined and their intensity changes
Once you have identified your brand colour palette based on the brand's personality and values, and are using it in your marketing literature and everywhere in your business, you will begin to attract your ideal clients and customers.
The major brands take this very seriously as they can't afford to lose potential customers.
Communicating through colour
As a business owner how much thought have you put into the tone and combination of colours that represent your business brand? Do you know what they are actually saying?
Surprisingly, most business owners use colour as decoration or as an afterthought. Instead think of colour as a subliminal language, another way to communicate and to attract your ideal clients.
Used to its full effect, your branding colours will give you the competitive edge, elicit the right emotional response from your prospects, and significantly increase your sales.
Download your free business brand colour e-book 7 Mistakes Most Business Owners Make with their Branding Colours over at karenhaller.co.uk/freebook7mistakes.htm
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