Coca-Cola suddenly decided to stop producing their classic 99-year-old recipe in 1985. In return, they announced a new formula. The aftermath? It was horrible. Loyal customers of the brand started protesting, wanting the classic Coke back. That's the power of brand identity, or more precisely, the power of consumers' emotional attachment to brands.
Understanding brand identity for SaaS companies
Brand identity refers to the unique characteristics of a company that influence its perceived personality, appearance, and behavior. It comprises various tangible and non-tangible elements, such as the history, visual identity, personality, and name.
One of the significant advantages of establishing a strong brand identity for your business is it enables your customers to choose your brand over others.
For example, when we think about soda, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Coke, right?
Apart from this, a strong brand identity also carries other benefits, like stronger product launches, greater control over pricing and consistent sales and performance.
Establishing your brand’s core elements
At the core of building a strong brand identity are these three elements:
- Defining your brand values: Brand values constitute the meaning that a company wants its work to have. These are fundamental beliefs shared by a company’s leadership and team members and are reflected in all their operations, industry, community, and the world. A few examples might include sustainable sourcing, precision, and diversity.
- Crafting your brand story: A brand story is a narrative that provides perspective into your brand identity and how it developed. Essentially, it covers the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of a brand’s operations. It must constitute three important elements, namely, the USP (Unique Selling Proposition), brand purpose, and brand values.
- Designing a logo and visual elements: Your brand logo is the first piece of your brand identity that your customers will see. Therefore, it needs to be in sync with all the other elements of your brand identity and the broader emotional appeal of your appeal. The trick is to make it memorable, straightforward, and everlasting. Furthermore, you must exercise extreme caution with the remaining visual aspects, which include the color palette, typography, iconography, and much more.
Using Webflow to build your brand identity
Mentioned below are a few Webflow design tips for your SaaS business to create a strong brand identity.
Webflow design capabilities
With the help of Webflow Designer, you can build your site structure, design the look and feel of your website, and add content, interactions, or animations as per your requirements. Power-packed with robust capabilities, Webflow enables users to manipulate HTML content and set CSS properties without writing a single line of code. The Webflow designer automatically generates clear and semantic code that web browsers can use to display your site.
To access the Webflow Designer tool, simply go to the Editor, which you can find by clicking on the Menu button situated in the lower left corner.
Creating consistent visuals
Webflow allows you to achieve and maintain visual consistency in different ways:
- It owns over 2000 web font families.
- It has CSS3’s flexible bones to create more flexible and responsive layouts.
- It defines key colors as global, meaning every instance of that color will update automatically whenever you change it.
- It can automatically scale and optimize inline images for every device size and at every resolution.
- It enables you to make reusable and editable symbols with just a few clicks.
Template customization
Webflow boasts multiple templates, ranging from one-page sites to multi-page business websites. You also have the option to buy premium templates to use for only one person, business, or website. Once you choose, that template will be automatically added to your dashboard, with all the template pages included.
The best part? They are completely customizable, meaning you can make as many or as little changes as you want. Whether it is adding, altering, or removing texts and images, you can do it all with Webflow templates.
If you ever find yourself struggling with Webflow templates, specifically the ones that use complex interactions, you can always reach out to the template creator for help. You can find all the necessary details on the template page of the Webflow template marketplace.
Integrating brand identity across your website
Here are some effective SaaS branding strategies for creating a strong brand identity.
Home page design
Your website's home page is the core of your business. Without a compelling home page, your customers will be unsure about what your business is all about. Here’s how you can attract more customers:
- Make the purpose of your business clear. Use concise and engaging language to communicate your value proposition effectively.
- Incorporate your news, blogs, and social media channels into your home page to keep your customers updated on the latest developments.
- Add plenty of Call-to-Actions to entice your website visitors to navigate around your site and convert.
Consistent navigation
Consistency helps build trust in a relationship. When someone is predictable, it fosters a sense of security and dependability. It also guides consumers through an intuitive path, ensuring a memorable and good experience with your brand:
- Ensure your brand’s visual elements, such as logos, color palettes, or typography, are consistent throughout all the touch points.
- Consistent navigation patterns or placement of elements makes website navigation easy for your customers, helping them find exactly what they are looking for. This can include placement of the main navigation menu on the top or using recognizable icons.
- Ensure consistent interaction patterns, such as hover effects, form fields, or button styles, to reduce cognitive load and enhance usability.
Content and messaging
Consistency in brand voice or messaging further reinforces your brand’s image in the minds of the consumers:
- Create brand guidelines that clearly explain your business's voice, tone, and message standards.
- Your brand's voice should be honest and reflective of the company's beliefs and mission.
- Use conversational language in your content and brand marketing to elicit an emotional response from your audience.
Enhancing brand recognition and trust
Here are a few SaaS branding strategies to enhance brand recognition and trust among your audience:
- Building trust through design: Never underestimate design's power to shape your clients' perceptions. For example, the color scheme you choose for your brand elicits emotions in the audience and makes it more memorable. Similarly, the typography you opt for communicates your brand personality and values.
- Showcasing testimonials and case studies: 95% of customers rely on the power of reviews and testimonials, influencing their purchasing decisions from a brand. Customer testimonials are not just decorative; they are an integral part of building trust. When showcasing these reviews, make sure to be concise, use refined grammar, and use a clear, readable font size.
- Implementing interactive elements: When implemented correctly, interactive elements can turn any dull or passive website into an active, engaging experience. By involving users directly in the content, you can achieve higher levels of engagement, increased dwell time, and, ultimately, more meaningful interactions with your audience.
Maintaining and evolving your brand identity
Here’s how to enhance and maintain your brand identity to match pace with evolving trends:
- Regularly assess the competitive landscape and identify opportunities to update your brand identity so that you can stay relevant.
- Train and educate your employees on brand identity; make them understand the brand values, guidelines, and messaging.
- Regularly keep track of your brand performance and identify any areas that might need to be adjusted.
- Engage with your target audience by collecting feedback wherever and whenever necessary.
- Ensure consistency across all touchpoints, such as social media, packaging, website, or customer service.
Final thoughts
Establishing a strong brand identity is undoubtedly a complex task that requires consistency, adaptability, and, most importantly, an understanding of your audience. Thankfully, Webflow features some robust capabilities that make this journey much easier. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your business remains relevant, memorable, and impactful.
Frequently asked questions
How can Webflow help in building a strong brand identity?
Webflow features various capabilities, such as template customization, Webflow Designer, 2000+ web font families, and various interactions and animations, all of which are essential in building a strong brand identity.
What are the key elements of a strong brand identity?
Some of the vital elements behind a strong brand identity include brand name, logo, color palette, typography, and slogan.
Why is it important to periodically update my brand identity?
One of the many reasons to change your brand identity regularly is to stay relevant and evolve with the latest market trends. These updates may include freshening your logo, changing your package, or simply altering your website design.
