Here we are – the last and final post in my four-part Building Your Brand series! If you missed the first three, be sure to check them out! Here they are again:
Part 1: Branding Mistakes You’re Making
Part 2: Establishing a Solid Foundation
Part 3: Why You Need a Strong Visual Identity
In this last blog, I’m going to walk you through the different touch points of your business, and why you need to use them effectively to strengthen your brand.
A touch point is any point where your audience comes in contact with your brand or business. It’s an opportunity to connect with them and build trust, all the while up-leveling your brand.
It’s important to identify which touch points are most important in your business, as not all of them are as important in different businesses. For example, Meghan at Vancouver Fashion Truck has her actual truck, which is a huge touch point! On the contrary, myself as a graphic designer, I obviously don’t have a physical storefront or truck as a touch point to engage with my clients.
Here are ten touch points you probably have in your business (or need to have!) and why each of them plays a key role in your brand:
1. Website
Hands down, this is your most important touch point because this is where your audience should always end up. Everything should lead people back to your website – your social media channels, email blasts, business cards. This is where your entire visual identity comes together!
Erin Sousa’s website that we recently launched – check it out here!
2. Social Media
Social media is definitely a key tool in your brand and marketing. Although something to remember is that you don’t own your followers, like you do your actual website traffic or email list subscribers. Any social platform could theoretically shut down tomorrow, and those followers would be gone (unless you’ve converted them to subscribers).
Think of all the different elements of your social media platforms – photos, stories, captions, emoji’s, engagement – and how they speak to your brand. Use all of these to your advantage to build and strengthen your brand! Having beautiful photos but lacklustre captions and zero engagement with your audience isn’t going get you very far.
3. Photography
Another crucial touch point in today’s day and age where everything is so visual! You’re going to use photography across many other touch points (e.g. social media and website), so you need to make sure your photos are strong and speak to your brand spirit. Need a refresher on what that is? Check out this post, all about creating your visual identity!
A quick tip: if you’re not a great photographer, outsource it! Even if you are, it’s hard to take good photos of yourself. I hired Alyssa Dawson who took all my amazing brand photos, and they’ve been such a great marketing tool to use across my brand and business!
4. Graphics
Graphics come into play when you’re posting a new blog, making an announcement on Instagram stories, creating pins for Pinterest, or sharing a fun quote. This is where your fonts and colours from your brand identity come together! It’s important for these to be cohesive with the rest of your brand touch points, while also engaging your audience’s attention.
5. Copywriting
Many people associate a brand with all the visuals, but the way you write captions, blog posts, and emails matter too! You can tell by my brand that I’m a fun, bubbly, energetic person, so it only makes sense that I write with more exclamation marks and emoji’s.
Think about how your brand’s spirit and personality are coming through in the way you communicate with your audience through words.
6. Print Materials
I’m sure you’ve all heard people talking about how print is dying. And while in some instances that may be true, in others, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Depending on your business, print materials can be a huge asset!
One of my clients, The Vanity Lab (a medical aesthetics clinic) has the most beautiful print materials that we created with gold foil and a matte laminate coating. They put thank you cards in customers’ online orders and have weekly specials cards to hand out in the clinic. They all play a valuable role in their brand identity and building relationships with their clients!
7. Client management/experience
Similar to copywriting, your customer’s experience plays a big role in your brand, and is often overlooked. Everything from the emails you send, to contracts that are signed, to client portals and software like Dubsado (a great client management software) matter!
If you have a beautiful brand that looks super professional, and then when a client books you, you’re sending them Excel-file invoices that look nothing like your brand on Instagram or your website, your clients are going to have a hard time building trust with you.
It sounds harsh but it’s true. You want each touch point to speak to your brand and further connect with your audience, nourishing those important relationships.
8. In-Person events/meetings
Here’s another one that most people don’t automatically think of as super important, but you are your brand. So when you meet someone in person, it’s important that you come across as your brand. For me, that means being the girly, bubbly and outgoing person that I am online. You know by now that I love pink, so it’s no surprise to my clients when I show up with my pink purse or pink clothing!
Use these opportunities to create new connections and build relationships with your audience. In today’s digital world, it’s so important to still be connecting offline and cultivating your brand presence in-person.
Note: These last two may not apply to everyone, but for those that they do, they’re important!
9. Storefront
If you’re a business with a brick and mortar store or physical location (like Vancouver Fashion Truck!), this is going to be a huge touch point for you. I would argue up there with your website! This is where people are immersed in your brand, where they get to know your business and the products you sell.
You can use the ambiance, decor, and set-up to evoke different emotions, make people feel at ease in your space, and get them excited to purchase something!
10. Products/Packaging
Again, if you have a physical product that you’ve created and are selling, you need to think of the experience your customer is having. The actual packaging of your products plays a key role in this!
If you want to create a luxury bath soap business, your packaging needs to be designed to make your customers feel like they’re holding an expensive, luxurious bar of soap. This isn’t a place to skimp out on, you want the design, touch, and feel of your product to reflect your brand’s spirit and visual identity.
Here’s your bonus tip:
Every one of your touch points should speak with one distinctive brand voice. Someone should be able to look at any one touch point and know instantly that it’s your brand and business – that’s the mark of a successful brand!
Are you ready to learn how to create your own touch points, and snag some awesome templates to get you started? Get on the waitlist for my Blissfully Branded course, and be the first to know when I launch my template shop this fall!
Tell me below in the comments, which touch point do you think is most important in your business and why? ????
XO
Danielle