Is it beneficial to put yourself front and centre when marketing your brand?
By now, you’ll know that at Create8, we love a question that divides opinion, and that’s precisely what we are going to provide! When it comes to building a brand, we’ve been around the block a fair few times. Bought the t-shirts, saw the highs and lows and made it back unscathed and with plenty of knowledge.
Think of us as your branding fairy godmother, but a little more real and much more passionate about all things brand-related.
In recent years, ‘brand’ and ‘branding’ have become two of the most commonplace phrases in the business world. When you hear the younger generation of entrepreneurs, they want to build brands and not companies, and honestly, we’re here for it.
Although sometimes they may not realise the actual difference between creating a brand and a business, they are passionate, and that will be enough to make a start.
So, the question arises, ‘Should you have a face behind your brand?’ In this blog, we will attempt to provide an answer and hopefully help you understand the benefits of being seen and operating in the shadows.
Anyway, let’s blow this popsicle stand. It’s time for some branding.
What are your clients interested in?
OK, the title of this section sounds ridiculous, and most of you will be sitting there thinking, ‘well, obviously us’. But, that isn’t always the case. Knowing where your customers’ loyalty lies will often dictate whether you will need to be a face or if your brand can stand alone.
As we write this piece, Mark Zuckerberg has 9.9 Million followers on Instagram and Facebook; the company has 4.3 Million. If this doesn’t justify how much more popular an individual can be when compared to a company, we don’t know what does.
With twice as many followers as the company that made his name, on a platform that ironically his brand also owns, broadly supports the importance of having a face behind a brand. However, do we think Facebook would still have been as successful if no one knew the Zuck? Well, honestly, it’s likely because of what a stand-out product it was and very much still is.
In fact, if you look way beyond the start of social media and the popularity of the ‘influencer’ culture. There are certain factors that underpin business as a whole that would support having a face for your brand too.
Zig Ziglar championed one such principle by saying, “People buy on emotion, and justify with logic.” This fits the mould here as you can’t create a genuine emotional bond with a brand alone, but you can with a face, a persona and a character.
Branding at Create8
At Create8, we are a team of branding, marketing and design experts with a difference. We pride ourselves on building innovative and thought-provoking solutions to business problems that most can’t get their heads around.
Create8 HQ is a challenge centre where no job is ever too big or small, and we love having to build something entirely mind-blowing for our clients. Building brands is a large part of our business and is something that we simply can’t get enough of, so if you want to look at some of our most recent branding projects, follow the link below.
Let us know what you think and if anything sparks some inspiration, reach out and arrange a chat. We can’t wait to hear from you.
So, what does having a face behind your brand bring?
When it comes to the benefits of having a face behind your brand, we believe several apparent ones should guide your decision.
Product knowledge
Having someone representing your brand gives your clients someone to look to for all of the product knowledge they may need. For example, as customers watch Elon Musk on social media, they see the same core values and knowledge they attribute to Tesla.
When the face of your brand aligns perfectly, it can help sell your product offering on a far greater level due to the information the face can offer to your audience.
Relevance
The internet has become somewhat of a middle eastern souk with lots of glorious sights, smells and tastes. Each vendor is vying for your attention and wants to be the brand that you choose to shop with; having a face behind your brand can help you stand out to those valuable passers-by.
Why? Well, because the world we live in relies on people of influence and following to keep the rest of us relevant. By that, we mean that we are easily sold to if someone with traits we deem attractive tells us this is the relevant product to buy. Whether those traits are looks, character, experience, or anything else is completely down to the target audience member.
Expertise
If you elect to build a brand with a face behind it, you should be selling expertise at every opportunity. In the post-covid world, we have witnessed social media become more insightful. There seem to be more people willing to share their talent and ways in which someone else can learn the basics of what they know.
The offering expertise boom has meant that brands with a face at their core can align their ethics with those of the figurehead to create an expertise and knowledge-sharing brand.
Relationships
Last but not least, we need you to think about how your clients build relationships with a brand. It’s far easier to attach yourself to something that has human qualities than it is a multinational company with lots of people in suits at its core. Having a face means that there is someone that people can hold responsible for failings but also see as recognisable for the successful things the brand achieves.
The humanisation of a brand is what allows clients to feel a part of something more because they know that the face of the business feels the same way they do about the brand and its products.
How can having a face be detrimental to your brand?
Here’s where we do the Create8 thing to do and cause a little bit of chaos. It’s important to remember that if having a face works for someone, it doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.
So, here are some things to consider if you are considering having a face behind your brand.
Responsibility
In this case, accountability works both ways. Think about the significant instances in which a brand representative has made a mistake or said something they shouldn’t have. All those errors are then aligned with your brand, which could cause significant upset amongst your clients.
Distance
In some cases, having one direct individual as the face of your brand, for example, Richard Branson and Virgin, creates a huge chasm between your clients and the brand. If they see the life that your ‘face’ is living as entirely unachievable, it can create jealousy and distance, which could have a huge backlash on your business.
If you are looking to build a community, you want people to relate to who they see as the figurehead, but if the opposite occurs, you could alienate potential clients quickly.
At Create8, we understand the benefits of both approaches and see that the decision to use a face for your brand is largely down to the type of brand you aim to be. If you feel that highlighting your roots as a start-up will benefit your growth, then, of course, it makes sense to do it. Either way, we believe that lots of thought should go into the direction of the brand from the initial strategy stages through to global domination. Understanding everything about yourself and the brand is key to knowing how to make those hard decisions with relevant ease.
Due to our experience working with brands of all sizes, we know what it takes to succeed and how best to position your brand for rapid growth. If you are looking for a branding agency to give you a helping hand and to develop a strategy that will promote growth, then all you need to do is reach out to us.
You don’t have to take our word for how good our work is either. If you follow the link below, you’ll find lots of our recent projects; who knows; maybe you’ll take some inspiration and reach out to have a chat with us. Whether you have a new business and you are looking for some branding expertise and a complete brand package, or your business needs a lick of paint and a refresh, Create8 is here to offer you one of the most comprehensive services in the sector.
Take a look at some more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks and advice:
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