In today’s fast-paced world, it often feels like constant change is the only thing that can be depended on. With the ever increasing globalization of our world and the emergence of a true global marketplace, we can sometimes lose track of the details as we scramble to keep up with the big picture. However, when it comes to branding your business for the 21 st century, it can be helpful to return to those seemingly smaller details. These days, branding and marketing are about reaching out and making connections with your customers and clients. This may feel strange, or even intimidating, but with a little intention, attention, and connection, you can brand your business for the new century.

Out with the Old
Building a 21 st century brand starts with you. We’ve become used to thinking of branding like a monologue. Marketers told their consumers what would happen. They spoke at their base, and generally used static, passive, and in-your-face language. 21 st century branding is more of a dialogue. Brand identities are interactive and converse with their customers. Successful
branding is interactive and often outside an established comfort zone. Millennials are a generation of searchers and used to receiving an answer to their questions. Be prepared to actively reach out to your base.

Write a Story
The 21 st century is a time built of stories. You want to craft a brand identity story to tell your base. It’s another way of thinking about connecting to your audience. Think of what you want in an engaging story: you want to be immersed, connected to on a deep level, feel you’ve entered in some kind of relationship. Think of a way to craft your brand with these goals in mind.

Consider color choices, font options, design, voice, style, message…all of these play into your brand’s story.

Humanize Your Brand Identity
You’ve opened a dialogue with your customers. You’ve told them the story of your brand. The next step is to put a little bit of humanity into your business. In today’s world, so crowded with faceless corporations, computers, and websites, people like to know that they are interacting with other people. Make your brand approachable and include personal touches whenever possible.

People will become more readily loyal to a brand that they feel will be loyal to them in turn. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the speed at which things move in this day and age.

Between social media and other technologies, sometimes it is hard to know which way to turn. For all we can move quickly, when it comes to 21 st century branding, it’s important to remember to make personal connections with your base whenever possible. Through the internet, that can happen with more ease than ever before. So start a conversation with your customer base, craft your brand story, and don’t forget that personal touch. Your audience will feel included, and you
will be well on your way to branding your business for the 21 st century.

RETI Contributer – Brandon Doyle