Why Personalizing Your Branding Is a Must in 2024

In 2011, Coca-Cola released the “Share a Coke” campaign.

They replaced their familiar branding and logo with over 1000 different names from all over the world.

It was a genius marketing strategy that had people buying Coke simply because it had their name on it.

When discussing branding, you might first think of logos, slogans, and imagery. But personalization in branding is taking those familiar aspects and making them unique to your audience, just like Coca-Cola did.

Here’s a look at why personalized branding works and tips on how to add that personalized touch to your branding.

What Is Your Branding?

Brand development is what identifies your company and products as your own. It is about creating a recognizable identity.

By branding your company, you create a memorable experience, products, and services that are more likely to attract customers to your brand. It also helps set you apart from the competition.

A famous example of the power of even simple branding is Nike shoes. From the outside, they might look like shoes you could get anywhere.

But the tell-tale swoosh makes people instantly recognize the brand. Even in a city with hundreds of people, a passerby could identify Nike shoes with the famous swoosh.

How Does Personalized Branding Impact Success?

Roughly 71% of businesses own a website, and someone creates a new webpage every three seconds. So, how can you ensure your brand stands out from the crowd?

Here’s another way of looking at today’s competitive field. In 1908, the world met the Model T. It was the first mass-produced vehicle, and there were no other options even remotely similar. Therefore, everyone who wanted a car bought the Model T.

Ford didn’t need any fancy marketing. Being a car was unique enough.

Today, not everyone buys the same car. Some choose to purchase minivans, while others buy sports cars. Automobile marketers have to be more specific in their branding.

Tesla commercials look very different than Toyota commercials. While Toyota promises space for four kids, a dog, and a mountain bike, Tesla promises speed and elegance. I have yet to see a Tesla commercial showing how many car seats fit inside.

Your branding helps you stand out. The more content there is (and there is A LOT of content), the more unique and personal you need to be for your audience so that they find you and instantly see themselves in your products.

7 Ways to Bring Personalization into Your Branding

Personalization can take many routes in marketing brand development.

To get you started with personalizing your branding, here are some tips we have seen generate results.

1. Understand Your Niche

Before you even begin building a unique brand, you need to spend time researching your audience and industry to understand what others are already doing.

Your audience is central to personalization. Who are they, what are their pain points, and how can you alleviate them? The answer to those questions will be your defining traits. They will direct all your branding, including images, slogans, tone, and message.

2. Focus on What Makes You Unique

Create a unique brand that looks like a human owns it. If your website and content all look like a robot used its cookie-cutter algorithm to design it, people will quickly forget it. It would be like a home buyer walking down a street of townhouses all built around the same time. Each house has the same color, size, and floor plan.

It doesn’t matter whether the buyer purchases the first or tenth house in line–they all are the same. Even a little variety, like painting the door a different color, doesn’t make a huge difference in differentiation.

But add a little personality, flavor, and creativity to your brand, reflecting who you are underneath, and you’ll immediately be way ahead of most of the content and branding you see online.

3. Build Authentic Connections

You can watch any music artist on YouTube, yet people still attend live concerts. Why?

Live concerts add a level of personalization. You are in the very room with your music idol. It’s much more memorable, engaging, and exciting.

While your customers probably won’t give a standing ovation when your brand steps out on the digital stage, you can still build a connection by stripping away technology from certain aspects of the customer experience and brand interactions. Instead, add more authentic connections.

For example, some websites have begun adding a message to their chatbot that says, “Hi, I’m Suzie. I’m a real person” or something similar. It lets people know they won’t be talking to a robot if they have questions. They’ll be speaking to an actual human, making a real connection.

4. Humanize Your Branding

Humanizing your brand helps it sound like a regular person.  Think of your brand as a conversation over coffee with a friend.

Don’t use words or phrases in your copy that you don’t use in real life.  For example, have you ever asked someone for their phone number so that you can “facilitate communication”? No – you ask them for it so you can “hit them up later.”

The same applies to your branding. Switch heavy jargon and obscure vocabulary for conversational phrases.

Some ways to humanize your brand include:

• Establishing a consistent voice
• Using a conversational tone
• Incorporating personal experiences that audiences can relate to

With consistency, your audience will begin getting to know you as a friend they trust for product recommendations and services.

5. Add Original Photography

Stock photo websites may be convenient. You may feel tempted to jump on a site and slap a generic image to add color and faces to your content. But, often, adding stock images is like wrapping a new gift in a newspaper. It might contain quality information, but the stock image gives off a generic feel that doesn’t set the right mood.

Plus, you won’t have to search far online to find someone else using the same image.

Instead, take professional photos of your products, company, and people. Add your face and business insider pictures to your marketing content so your audience connects a face to your branding, helping them feel more connected and remember the content longer.

6. Invest More in Video Marketing

Video marketing is crucial to 88% of marketers’ brand strategies. Again, you are putting your face in front of your audience, giving them someone to connect with, remember, and trust.

It helps you stand out and attract new customers and builds relationships so those customers remain with you longer.

Short-form and long-form videos perform well, depending on what you’re using them for. Short-form videos under 60 seconds work well for Instagram Reels or YouTube shorts. About 44% of audience members prefer shorter videos.

Live videos add another layer of personalization since you are now online at the same time as your audience, directly interacting with them. About 53% of companies incorporate live video, and 28% of marketers say it’s the best format for a return on investment.

7. Stay Active on Social Media

Use social media and your blog to create viral marketing content. You want to share content people will talk about with others, getting your brand name out there. Personal recommendations go further than paid promotions, so those word-of-mouth recommendations are gold in marketing.

Staying active on social media does not just include creating regular content, though that is important. The platforms also allow for more personal interactions. You can like, share, comment, and respond to comments.

It allows you to communicate one-on-one with customers who now feel seen and heard.

It’s Time Your Audience Met the Real You

Are you ready to remove the technology mask and turn your branding into a personal mirror? We can help you transform your business into a personalized brand people connect with, trust, and remain loyal to.

Schedule a free consultation to learn more about our brand development services and get started on your personalization journey.