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Has your marketing team ever heard the phrase “brand essence”? It may be a common phrase, but it’s not always clear how a brand establishes an “essence.” What does essence mean? Essentially, brand essence encompasses your brand’s defining traits that allow it to resonate with your audience and stand out among your competitors. For a strong essence, your brand needs to be unique, visceral, relevant, authentic, durable, and have a clear focus. In this post, we will further define what it means to have a brand essence in your marketing company.
Brand essence showcases the emotional side of your brand
There is a story behind every company’s brand; you’ve likely heard a few of your own. Think back to some of your favorite brands—whether they are B2B or B2C—and consider why you feel a sense of loyalty or passion around that brand. How does the brand solve critical questions in your industry? Why does the company behind the brand continue to provide helpful solutions and service its customers to its full ability? To understand brand essence, you must focus on the “why” and “how” of your brand—not just “what” it does.
It’s true that your marketing company may not have an in-depth story behind its brand, but that isn’t necessary. Instead of getting caught up in historical elements of your brand’s story, the “how and why” statements are what provide the emotional resonance your brand essence needs. It shows your target audience and existing customers that your company is aware of their pain points and always working to address them in a helpful, holistic manner.
Brand essence can help cultivate strong customer relationships
Your brand essence is what communicates to your customers that they aren’t just another number in your list of contacts; they are important to you. You care about their needs and will continue to provide them with helpful solutions and nurture content. Whether you have repeat buyers, active subscribers to a particular service, or a client that’s been involved with you for years, the relationship you create with them matters. Your brand essence determines how your customers will view your brand on a professional and personal level.
When it comes to your brand essence, don’t shy away from showing some personality in your brand’s voice. For example, there is often a misconception that B2B brands are more professional and don’t like to use humor or light-hearted approaches in their messaging. At thinkdm2, we believe it’s important to have a more personal, familial side to your marketing company’s brand—to show clients and customers that there is a team of people behind the brand!
Your brand logo and essence statement can also make a difference
We’ve discussed how important emotional resonance is when it comes to your brand essence. However, even the appearance of your logo and messaging of a tagline or mission statement can benefit your essence statement. After all, your company's logo is often the first visual that comes to mind when a person pictures your brand. This doesn’t mean your logo should be complex and feel like a mishmash of several different elements; consistency is key!
As for its messaging, crafting a captivating brand essence statement also expresses the passion and value behind your brand. This acts as a vital component in your marketing company and has a similar feeling to a mission statement. You’ll know you have developed a powerful brand essence statement if it showcases the following elements:
- How your brand differs from competitors
- Key insights around what makes your solutions unique
- Clearly-defined values
- An objective or “why” statement about your brand
Is your marketing company confident in its current brand essence? We hope these key points have helped you effectively define your company’s brand messaging and values. For additional insights from thinkdm2, you can check out more of our blog posts and follow us on LinkedIn. Thinkdm2 is a B2B digital marketing and branding agency from New Jersey that specializes in brand development, web design, and developing marketing strategies for SaaS, IoT, and Professional Services companies.
