Giving your brand a personality can make your brand appear to stand apart from your competition. Your brand personality, just like most people, is special and unique in its own way. But how do you show that? By showing your personality, of course! 

You are able to differentiate yourself from other companies when you have a clear and defined story, and you understand what your audience likes. Drinking your coffee is like catching up with a friend – you have created a connection with your customers and that just adds to the flavour of your coffee.

What is ‘brand personality’?

Your brand personality is a way to show your values and beliefs as a company. Your brand voice can be one of your biggest communicators to your target market. You can show your customers what you believe by talking on a more personal level about your values.

A key component of brand personality is taking personal traits and equating them to your brand – this may involve having a distinct voice, a market focus, a defined set of values, or ideally a combination of all of them! Just like a big company chooses a brand ambassador to be the “face” of the brand, your brand personality is the heart of your brand.

Discussing how your brand strives for quality coffee will show your consumers that you care about the product you are providing. This brings out a subconscious feeling that you as a company care about them which has an overwhelming influence on whether or not they buy your products or services. 

What role do emotions play in brand personality?

Emotions play a big role in our purchasing decisions without us realising it – especially when it comes to the coffee industry. The more positive emotions they feel about your brand, the more likely they are to continue buying your coffee. Posting pictures and articles on your brand’s community is a great way to achieve these positive emotions. 

By showing your customers that you take care of your coffee and your workers, you are showing your customers that your brand is trustworthy and safe. Even showing your company donating its product to current issues can create this effect. People want to support companies they trust and share those positive feelings with. 

Your customers are more likely to identify your brand if they can relate to it. You are trying to make your brand into a person. So, ask yourself:

• What does this person like doing? 
• What are their other interests? 
• Which emotions are most likely to resonate with them?
  
  Try and get your brand personality to align closely to the kinds of customers you would like to attract. If you would like to attract people who drink coffee as well as go surfing, try and create a brand personality that relates to beaches and the summer sun. Show your coffee as something you drink on the beach or on a surfboard! 
  
  

Creating a voice and story for your brand personality

One of the best ways to personify your brand is giving it context, and a story. If people know that your company has been around since 1925, they will see you as a company that has experience in what you do. If you are family owned then you show your consumers the humble beginnings your company has come from. 

A brand voice is key when marketing your company. As the heart of the company, your brand personality is the part of your company that can make people see your products as more than just a product, but rather a lifestyle or an experience. Most of all, remember – your brand voice needs to be something that people connect to!

Your ‘brand story’ can be established by working to answer a few simple (but important) questions:

• How long has your company been around for? 
• Are you a family centred business? 
• How has the business changed over time? 
• How are the values of the company demonstrated through its products? 
• What kind of voice does your brand have? 
• Is your vocabulary and tone suitable for your audience?

Remember that a brand personality isn’t something you determine once and it never changes. Brands are like people – over time and with new experiences, they change, grow and develop into something new. As your business changes and grows over the years, so should the brand personality that your customers experience.

Ready to identify and build your brand personality? Get in touch with a member of the PDG Media team!