What is a brand personality, why is it important, and how do you create one?
A brand personality is a tool you can employ to make your brand more human. It’s comprised of a set of characteristics and traits that you define in order to capture your brand’s spirit. This personality should be:
Believable - it aligns with what you’re brand is all about. For example, you most likely wouldn’t identify your bank as having a wacky personality. It would sort of undermine your ability to convince people that you will be judicious with their money.
Resonant - it is a personality that your customers and prospects would find engaging. Think about people you like being around. You probably can identify what it is about their personalities that draw you to them. That’s what you’re trying to do for your brand.
The importance of defining your brand personality
Going through the effort to define your brand personality results in multiple benefits. Since you are identifying traits that make it feel more human, it increases your chances of the brand connecting with those you hope to serve on a deeper emotional level.
Additionally, it gets everyone on your team on the same page when it comes to how your brand expresses itself. It also gives you another tool to help differentiate your brand from your competitors. To top it off, a well-crafted brand personality can make your brand more memorable.
Creating your brand personality
I’ve helped dozens of brands define their brand personalities. One of the most successful methods I’ve used is the brand personality trait spectrums exercise. Here’s an example of how it works. Let’s say you choose ‘Humorous’ as one of your traits. That can be engaging. But what is the appropriate amount of humor in your brand? This tool helps you define this.
Create a spectrum with ‘Humorous’ on one side and ‘Serious’ on the other. Then plot where along that spectrum your brand falls. Is it more serious than humorous? Is it slightly humorous? Or does it really lean into humor? By plotting where you are on the spectrums you can start to hone the personality of your brand.
Follow this process with a series of brand personality trait spectrums. Check out this post for more information. It dives deeper into the details of this really valuable (and fun) process. And check out the attached example of a collection of brand personality trait spectrums that a brand may use.
Your brand personality can help define how the brand speaks. How it acts. And how it interacts with those you hope to serve. Getting that nailed down can help you create a brand that’s more compelling and engaging. Just like those people with winning personalities that we all love to be around.