Brand symbols go hand in hand with great brand strategies and are excellent at communicating the areas your brand strategy may get lost in. However, there remains a lot of confusion around the idea of brand symbols, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide to elucidate everything.
What Exactly Are They?
Brand symbols aren’t just the logo you use. They’re the associations we make with a brand and how they differentiate themselves from others nonverbally.
Take Virgin, for instance. Airports aren’t easy to distinguish yourself in – the products are difficult to deviate from the norm. This is where their airport lounges come in, an offering to their loyal customers to improve their overall experience. This entire experience creates a symbolic understanding of Virgin and their image.
Obviously, smaller businesses can’t create an exclusive lounge to keep customers coming back and cementing a strong impression – but think a little smaller. How can you offer services that reflect what your brand stands for, and how can this build a more symbolic understanding of your business for customers?
Implementing Brand Symbols
Brand symbols are great at reaching your customers where communications alone cannot. As a result, they can be difficult to properly implement.
Finding a brand strategy agency is the best and most effective way of implementing brand symbols without working overtime or forcing staff into unfamiliar territory. You can find plenty of these online, such as https://www.reallyhelpfulmarketing.co.uk/specialist-services/brand-strategy-agency.
But we’d also like to give you some pointers. For starters, think of how you can build your image without actively communicating. Product, place and people are the three most important considerations in this.
When you have a brand idea, also consider the four following approaches: your image, offer, capabilities and culture. In terms of image, how are you building your symbol in the digital world compared to in-person events? For your offer, what sectors, insights and, of course, services are available to you?
The best way to approach brand symbols is to ask yourself: ‘How can these areas symbolise what we want our brand to stand for in the market?’