How First Impressions Shape Your Brand's Future

It's said we only get one chance to make a good first impression. There are few areas where that's more true than in marketing. The first interaction a customer has with your brand sets the stage for their perception of it. With a good first start, you improve the chances of building strong loyalty towards your brand and make for a successful working relationship with your customer(s) after that. 

During this brief window, consumers form opinions based on design, usability, and emotional response. This initial encounter can determine whether a visitor will turn into a loyal customer or one who leaves and never returns. So, how do you capture and make the most of that first moment of opportunity between your customer and your brand? This article will cover how you can make a memorable, lasting impression with your brand.

FIND YOUR FEELING

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" 

- Maya Angelou. 

People buy according to their emotions and values. How would you like to make your customers feel? Safe? Empowered? Belittled? Perhaps you make your customers feel safe, rebellious, or sexy. These feelings are straightforward, relatable, and can be grasped quickly - and that's the secret to a good brand story. Emotions can be grasped promptly, so immediately articulate the feeling you wish to evoke in your audience. Put pen to paper and jot down as many words as possible to describe the sensations you wish to evoke throughout your brand.

Another way to tackle this is to consider your brand as a friend. If your brand was a person, how would it dress? How would it smell? Imagine your brand at a bar. Where would you find them? In the centre of the dance floor? Or guarding the door, doing what it takes to ensure everybody is safe? When your customer is confronted with a choice between your brand and a competitor, they can immediately relate to your brand.

The emotional impact of a first impression is potent. Brands that evoke positive emotions such as happiness, relief, or satisfaction are more likely to form lasting bonds with their audience. This emotional connection can be achieved through compelling storytelling, engaging visuals, or empathetic user experiences. When customers feel a brand understands their needs and values, they are more likely to commit to it long-term.

FIND YOUR STORY

Your brand story can be deliberate, unintentional or bespoke for your audience. Creating a brand narrative can feel overwhelming: What if your brand doesn't have a purpose? The secret to a good brand story is to be honest and relatable. Cut through the noise and avoid fluffy language at all costs. Finding a connection with your audience, such as a place or another commonality, can be enough to create your brand story. Where having a brand with purpose can be significant, your story doesn't need to be complicated. Given that most customers make up their minds about a brand within seconds, it's better to stick with something simple based on subconscious decisions.

FIND YOUR AUDIENCE

The third step in establishing a trustworthy, authentic brand personality lies in studying the people you wish to reach. By putting your audience first, you'll establish a connection built on their values and aspirations––so you can build the emotional bond that keeps people coming back. Having your audience in mind ensures your brand personality will be relevant, relatable and meaningful to those you put it in front of. Careful audience research helps us ask the right questions to provide the best answers. A fully fleshed-out persona enables you to get in touch with who your brand is on the inside, which makes it easier to identify what they'll look like on the outside.

FIND YOUR LOOK

Customers don't always have the time to hear the detailed story behind your brand, and with pictures telling 1000 words, your visual identity must convey the personality and story you've chosen. 

Your brand identity should encapsulate your story, from typeface to colour; it is essential to help your audience follow your story. As a rule, warm colours like orange and red evoke passion and romance, whilst the cooler side of the colour wheel is associated with reliability and tranquillity. We'll examine the full spectrum of colours with your brand story in mind, picking out the ones that feel the most appropriate for the feelings you'd like to evoke in your audience. Looking at the language of colour and how it affects our decision-making can make all the difference when picking the right colours for your brand personality.

That said, having a good look is not enough if it’s not the same across all platforms. A consistent brand message and visual identity help to reinforce brand recognition. This means that your logos, company colours, and messaging need to be uniform whether on your website, social media, or in print. This consistency helps in building a strong and reliable brand image that consumers feel comfortable returning to time and again.  

 By bringing your brand to life through strategic visual design AND maintaining consistency, you can resonate with your audience, create engagement, and differentiate your brand.

FIND YOUR VOICE

A strong tone of voice - and strong can be quiet, subtle and understated, too - will help you build a relationship with your audience that feels consistent with the rest of your brand personality. The name your brand has, the tagline and the way you speak to your audience on social media, in advertising materials and online collateral should all feel like they've come from the same person. Building trust with the people you want to reach is challenging if there's no consistency and trust is foundational to any relationship; it starts with the first interaction.

Transparent communication about your products, services, and business practices can greatly influence the trustworthiness of your brand. Clear, honest messages resonate well with audiences, particularly in sectors where trust is crucial, such as finance, health, and education.

IN CONCLUSION

The impact of first impressions on your brand’s future cannot be overstated. They form the foundation of how customers perceive and interact with your brand. Investing in a strong, positive first impression not only enhances customer retention but also sets the stage for sustainable growth and success. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make it count!

LEARN MORE

If you'd like to make a lasting impression by building a solid brand identity and much more, learn more about Alexandra Lunn Studio’s offering here, and get in touch with Alexandra here for a free consultation.

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Alexandra is the founder of Alexandra Lunn Studio Ltd. a London based design studio based at 180 The Strand. Having taught graphic design & branding at Shillington College, she has decided to merge her professional skills and expertise in teaching together with 10+ years of building brands from scratch to support new founders at every stage of their brand building journey.