Is your brand actually letting the world see who you are as a business? Sounds like an easy thing to ask, yet a lot of companies can’t keep to the vision you began with.
Your brand identity is one of the largest contributors to marketing your business. If it’s off target, individuals may leave if they don’t think it aligns with their value system or what they’re searching for.
Here we are going to guide you through the process in which a survey can assist you to make your brand identity sharper. Surveys are an excellent means to explore what your customers feel and what they expect from you.
Are you ready? Let’s get started.
The importance of a strong brand identity
A brand identity tells you so much about being you as a company. It’s like the storefront window of your business, creating a sense of what you’re all about to a world full of potential buyers. If you desire to attract people and get them to come back for more, you’ve got to show your brand in a way that really glows.
Some of the largest names in the industry have built their fame by embracing a brand identity that is rock-solid.
The core of a superior brand identity is solid imagery—often starting with a killer logo. The logos that you will see below are ones you’d recognize instantly. They’ve remained iconic because they’re associated with brands that we trust, brands that are about quality, and ones that own the space in the game.
Consider The Huffington Post, for instance—this is a news organization that’s always existed online. When it started 17 years ago, it was one of the first there. But as other players entered the market, they decided to mix it up and rebranded as HuffPost in 2016.
The rebranding provided them with a perception that was more comfortable to operate in the digital space and indicated they were sure of themselves. That rebrand has remained since, which appears to indicate it was an intelligent decision. Lydia Polgreen, their editor-in-chief, regarded it as part of a larger reconsideration of what the brand represented.
She even highlighted that “HuffPost” was already what people were referring to them organically. Going with a name people were already comfortable with made it feel natural and just right for them—like it was destined.
So, now that you’re thinking about how to measure your own brand identity, a survey’s a safe bet. It’s an opportunity to take a peek at what really goes through people’s heads about you. If the criticism is harsh, it may be time to rebrand. And you can also see if how people perceive you are in line with what you’re going for—and if a rebrand’s on the money.
Surveys allow you to connect with actual opinions out there. You can compare those to what you’re trying to communicate as a brand and determine whether you’re actually relating to the people you’re communicating with.
How to Conduct a Survey
The questions you include in your survey play a key role in shaping your brand’s identity. That’s why it’s important to make sure both your questions and answer choices are clear and relevant. They should directly address the areas where your brand needs improvement. Here are some helpful tips for surveying to strengthen your brand identity:
Conduct surveys to build buyer personas
Why do your customers continue to return to your brand? More than likely, it’s because they feel a connection to it. To build a brand that people can connect with, you need to create buyer personas. These personas allow you to build more compelling campaigns through email, social, and content marketing.
A buyer persona is the typical characteristics of your loyal clients. You are able to obtain demographic information such as age and gender as well as information regarding their interests and history through surveys. Utilize this to make your marketing efforts more targeted and produce content that will connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Determine the issues your product can solve
Every brand needs to tackle a real issue that customers deal with—otherwise, why would anyone pick your stuff over someone else’s? The trick is, you’ve got to first let people know how your products can make their lives better.
One of the most direct ways to determine what’s on customers’ minds is by posing the question directly to them via surveys. What you find out can inspire new-product ideas that tick exactly where people are sorest, keeping your brand right on target for what people want.
Also, surveys let you get a glimpse at how people are really using your stuff and how you can sell it better. They also illuminate what is annoying people about your product, so you can adjust and keep them smiling
Apple, for instance, sells itself as user-friendly. They know that the vast majority of users don’t care about working with cumbersome settings—a problem many computer and gadget users face. What they prefer instead is a machine that can be used as soon as it is taken out of its box.
That ease of use is one of Apple’s greatest selling points, and it is a tactic that has been incredibly successful.
Surveys allow you to create products that users will end up using. The iPhone 5S, released in 2013, added a new feature: Touch ID, a fingerprint sensor. Apple followed up with short, 10-minute questionnaires that they sent to customers immediately after launch, soliciting their opinion on the feature.
Observe how “ease of use” is a major priority throughout the survey questions. Apple realized that requiring iPhone owners to type in a passcode to access their handsets was time-consuming and less secure than implementing a biometric sensor. This was their “pain point” and led to the rollout of Touch ID.
The survey feedback assisted in ensuring that this new feature was worth the investment. Touch ID was a feature of iPhones until the iPhone X in 2017 when Face ID took over as the new device unlocking standard.
Consider the same “pain point” your products might solve and sell the solution well. Sell your product as a means of simplifying your customers’ lives and doing them a favor.
A survey can help you make products that are actually loved by people. Apple, for instance, when it released the iPhone 5S in 2013, released with it a new feature—Touch ID, the fingerprint sensor. Customers who bought the phone after the launch were sent a 10-minute survey that asked for opinions on the new feature
Listen to what people have to say about you
Establishing a good atmosphere about your brand is the key to making it successful. What emotion do you wish your customers to experience? Calmness? Relief? To know how they feel about your brand, simply ask them in a poll. If the response is not as great as you could wish, correct it.
One effective approach is to list both positive and negative adjectives and ask customers to select the ones that best describe your brand. Then, analyze the trends in their responses.
For instance, if 50% of people choose “overpriced,” it might be time to reevaluate your pricing strategy. Let these insights guide your next steps in refining your brand identity.
You should also ask customers about other key elements of your brand, like your logo, colors, fonts, photos/videos, and website design. Since your website plays a big role in shaping brand perception, a question like “How was your experience with the website?” can provide valuable feedback to enhance the overall customer experience
Our survey forms’ results will indicate to you the effectiveness of your brand identity enhancement process, or at least point out areas that need to be readdressed. You want your brand to appear competent, attractive, and recognizable so it will attract and retain customers. You can either sustain a positive reputation or transform a bad one by linking your brand to positive emotions.
In general, customers like when the company is concerned about how it’s perceived. Customers look up to businesses as needing to know their needs and expectations, and they consider their opinions.
Ask how to differentiate your unique selling proposition
A unique selling proposition (USP) is really just a way of letting potential buyers know why they should buy your brand versus another brand. In order to determine your USP, you can survey consumers and ask if your brand has something the others do not. This will give you an idea of what makes you different.
You can also ask them how your brand might be different or do things differently than other brands.
The best USPs focus on a special quality your brand has and show how it benefits customers. Many USPs are expressed through memorable slogans.
Consider the case of Avis. Within three years, they had raised their market share by 7%, due to the brilliant use of one slogan. Having realized that they were always second to Hertz in the car rental business, they made this an advantage with their campaign, “We’re number two. We try harder.”
How did they create such a unexpected yet great slogan? They conducted a customer survey and asked for feedback, and one of the prevailing themes was that Avis always strived to do more than its customers needed. This created the legendary slogan, “We try harder.”
To develop your own USP, discover what makes you different, emphasize why it is different, and describe how it serves everyone who may purchase from you. The way to build a successful brand is like that.
Discover means to change and improve the image
It would be great to add survey questions regarding future changes you will make.
Having your customers review your brand identity with new eyes can reveal areas for improvement that you may never have thought of. To help get as much valuable information as possible, be certain to make room for more in-depth answers in your survey.
Apple gains a remarkable net promoter score (NPS) by hearing carefully to what the customer is saying and responding to it. The moment a negative review is received, it’s marked automatically. Within 24 hours, store managers personally call those with low ratings to determine how they can do better.
With this feedback, Apple store managers also train their employees on how to improve customer service. Although this might be interpreted as a strategy for performance management, Apple has a huge pride in its customer service experience, which has become a vital aspect of its brand identity. This emphasis on customer service has been so successful that it brings in an extra $25 million of revenue yearly.
Conclusion
It’s essential that your brand truly reflects your values for long-term success. A well-conducted survey can reveal any areas that may need improvement.
By fine-tuning your brand identity, you’ll be able to attract the right customers and strengthen your place in a competitive market. Use these tips to leverage surveys and enhance your brand image. Don’t forget to drive high engagement in your surveys for the best results.
Get this correct, and your brand will gain loyal followers who identify with what you believe in.
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Prashant Sharma