You need a brand with a personality

Do you know that company that’s absolutely hilarious, smart, and witty as hell? Oh, that’s us. Maybe you know us or maybe not, but the one thing you should know is that Cheeky Monkey Media has a personality, and a big one too.

You might be curious why we’ve chosen to build our brand’s personality the way we have. If that’s the case, good because I’ll explain it to ya.

Brand recognition.

Do you remember the brands that have logos that are a couple of letters and their slogan is something like “we’re here to better you” or something cliche like that? Likely not.

Building brand personalities helps your business become more memorable. People will see your brand colour and think of you, or they’ll see your logo and know exactly what you offer.

It’s easier for products to create a brand personality because the products can be customized to reflect your business. But when you’re dealing with selling services, building a brand personality is more difficult. You can’t brand all your work with your brand name, especially if you’re giving whatever you created to a client. Imagine if we put “CHEEKY MONKEY” across every website we made like a watermark. Gross. No one likes that. Instead interject personality into your company, conversations, social media, blog posts, and all that stuff.

Now, you can’t just pull a personality out of thin air. It takes some thinking. Here are some things to consider when you’re developing your brand personality.

1. Who are you? Who is your target market? Are the two different?

If you’re similar to your target market, that’s awesome and your job will be a lot easier. You can customize everything into something that you’ll want to see. You can be your own guinea pig. If you post a crappy picture and you know you wouldn’t stop scrolling Instagram to double tap, then don’t post it. Done. Easy.

If you’re different from your audience then that’s not as easy, but that’s ok. Do some research. Create an avatar (your ideal client profile). You could even conduct interviews or ask family and friends if they like the personality your brand has. Trial and error are key. Don’t be too hard on yourself for not getting it right the first time.

2. What’s your brand voice like?

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Is your brand voice scary, feminine, cute, cheeky, rude, weird, etc.??? In this area, I encourage you to build a unique voice. Standing out is always key. This doesn’t have to mean everything you put out into the world is going to be super weird but it does mean it will be engaging and relevant.

3. What are your brand colours?

Make sure your brand colours match your brand voice. Imagine if Cheeky Monkey’s brand colours were pink and baby blue, the vast majority of people would think “wtf?”. Keep your colours relevant to your brand and your target market. If colours aren’t your forte, then I always suggest asking for a second opinion. Remember to keep psychology in mind, for example, using blue has a calming effect on people’s brains, and using red stimulates the brain to think of exciting or intense things.

Obviously, the best way to keep your brand personality consistent is to educate anyone that will be working for your company. Give them examples of your brand personality and tell them to have at ‘er.

This personality can change over time as you change, and that’s part of what will make it fun. Your brand should always stay consistent with you; you’re the one behind the scenes. Make it fun, make it relevant, and make it memorable.