If you aim to establish a robust foundation for your brand's growth, initiating the definition of your brand pillars is an important starting point. Consider brand pillars as the strategic framework that underpins your brand, articulating its purpose, positioning, and connections with customers.
Whether you're defining them for the first time, refining an existing set, or seeking insights, this post on what are brand pillars is your guide. We'll delve into the essentials of brand pillars, exploring what they entail, their significance, and providing guidance on constructing a set that forms a sturdy base for sustainable business expansion.
Table of Contents
What are Brand Pillars?
Brand pillars serve as distinctive categories companies employ to define and highlight their core values. Comprising five types, these pillars collaboratively shape an overarching brand image, fostering a positive reputation. Effectively leveraging these pillars enables a brand to differentiate its offerings from competitors.
By establishing brand equity—customers' perception of a brand's value—companies articulate attributes, values, and authenticity, effectively communicating products and services. Accurate use of pillars not only attracts potential customers but also cultivates ongoing engagement from existing ones. For instance, a company consistently sharing its goals on social media can elicit audience interaction through likes, comments, and tags.
Why are Brand Pillars Important?
Having explored the definition of brand pillars, let's delve into why these strategic assets hold immense importance for your business. In the following sections, your brand pillars encompass five distinct yet equally crucial facets, providing the groundwork for a consistent and authentic brand experience.
Authenticity holds significant weight in your brand, with 88% of customers citing it as a decisive factor in brand support. Brand pillars play a pivotal role in ensuring authenticity, as each contributes uniquely to portray a holistic brand image—purpose-driven, optimally positioned, possessing a relatable personality, favorably perceived, and effectively promoted.
This combination forms the recipe for a trustworthy, cohesive, and undeniably authentic brand. In the upcoming discussion, we'll explore how each brand pillar offers a strategic business advantage that cannot be overlooked.
What are the Five Types of Brand Pillars?
Brand pillars, comprising Purpose, Perception, Personality, Position, and Promotion, serve as the foundational elements guiding your business and marketing strategy. These pillars, integrated into your brand mission and storytelling, influence diverse aspects like demographic targeting, customer service, and product development. For marketers, especially in organic search engine or pay-per-click strategies, brand pillars offer a distinct edge, setting your company apart. Let's explore each element:
Purpose:
- Articulate your business's reason for existence.
- Define the problem your business aims to solve.
- Connect your brand story and values to your purpose.
- Communicate your long-term goals through your brand purpose.
Perception:
- Shape how you want customers to perceive your brand.
- Influence language, emotions, and comparisons with competitors.
- Manage perception through branding elements under your control.
- Create core values that inspire positive responses.
Personality:
- Define your brand's voice and workplace culture.
- Reflect your personality through social media and marketing.
- Align perception and personality to strengthen brand identity.
- Cultivate a brand personality that resonates with your audience.
Position:
- Identify your target market and appeal factors.
- Assess current market position and competition.
- Define where you want your company to be in the future.
- Strategize to move from current position to desired status.
Promotion:
- Increase brand visibility in target locations.
- Utilize brand ambassadors to enhance visibility.
- Understand brand affinity and customer engagement behaviors online and offline.
- Implement effective promotion considering customer preferences.
As the last pillar, Promotion ties together insights from the other pillars. Beyond paid marketing, it involves organic reach strategies and understanding customer behaviors, ensuring your brand remains prominent in their decision-making processes. Explore avenues like influencer marketing, guest blogging, podcasts, and innovative promotional tactics to maximize brand exposure.
How to Define Brand Pillars in Four Steps?
Crafting effective brand pillars for a company involves four key steps:
Step 1: Develop Audience Personas
Formulate an audience persona by gathering data on potential customers' interests, goals, habits, and demographics.
Utilize this information to devise a targeted marketing strategy, ensuring effective attraction of potential customers.
The created persona becomes the central focus of the brand's target audience.
Step 2: Evaluate Feedback
Monitor audience behavior and record responses to various marketing campaigns to collect feedback.
Analyze engagement metrics on different platforms, such as social media reactions and responses, to identify the most efficient channels for reaching potential customers.
Use gathered feedback to refine and enhance future marketing campaigns for more engaging audience interactions.
Step 3: Fine-Tune Company Values
Update the company's values based on feedback regarding customer preferences and interests. For instance, if certain product variants consistently outsell others, adjust the marketing approach to spotlight the popular items.
Align the target audience with the products being offered, ensuring a harmonious connection between customer interests and the brand's offerings.
Step 4: Build a Values-Aligned Team
Form a team that resonates with the brand's values to enhance marketing effectiveness and boost sales.
During interviews, ask questions related to brand values to assess alignment when selecting candidates.
Employees who understand and embody the brand's values can effectively promote its products or services.
Ensuring a cohesive alignment of team members with the brand's values contributes to a more impactful marketing strategy and improved overall sales performance.
Top Five Brand Pillars Examples
Here is our pick of the top five brand pillars examples:
TikTok
TikTok's core brand page succinctly articulates its brand pillars, mirroring the platform's swift and clear user experience. The purpose is to aid users in exploration, creating the perception of a continuously refreshing environment. TikTok's identity mirrors its user base, evolving alongside them and deriving value from their creativity. These pillars collectively contribute to a brand experience characterized by relentless energy, explaining the platform's meteoric growth.
Savage X Fenty
The brand name and the "About" page for Savage X Fenty prominently showcases its foundational brand pillars. Fearlessness, confidence, inclusion, accessibility, and individuality form the core of its brand purpose, swiftly communicating its identity and experience to a diverse audience, establishing a potent brand foundation.
Patagonia
Patagonia, a brand with a distinct personality and purpose, centers its mission on using business to protect nature. The brand's pillars revolve around building top-quality products, minimizing harm, and innovating responsibly. Values and purpose take center stage as the pillars of this brand, emphasizing its commitment to environmental protection and sustainable practices.
Samsung
As a global tech giant, Samsung faces the challenge of catering to a diverse customer base. Its brand pillars, such as progressive innovation and defiant optimism, reflect a commitment to technological advancement. Simultaneously, values like integrity, transparency, and social betterment underscore its dedication to ethical practices, ensuring consistent communication of its purpose, values, and identity to both B2C and B2B audiences.
Silver and Riley
The luxury fashion brand Silver and Riley strategically utilizes brand pillars to anchor its brand voice. With the core purpose of offering luxury bags at an accessible price, the brand emphasizes principles like diversity, inclusivity, and customer focus as integral pillars supporting its overarching goal.
Brand Pillars FAQs
What exactly are brand pillars?
Brand pillars are the foundational elements that define a brand's identity and values. They encompass key principles, guiding messaging, communication, and overall strategy. Think of them as the core values that form the essence of a brand's existence.
Why are brand pillars essential for a business?
Brand pillars are crucial as they shape a brand's messaging, communication, and overall strategy. They provide a consistent framework, fostering customer loyalty and building enduring brand equity for sustained success.
How can a business establish effective brand pillars?
Creating effective brand pillars involves understanding your audience, analyzing feedback, refining company values, and building a team that reflects those values. This integrated system enhances brand loyalty and ensures lasting success.
What distinguishes brand pillars from brand values?
With regards to brand pillars vs. brand values, brand pillars serve as the foundational elements guiding a brand's strategy, messaging, and communication. In contrast, brand values represent the fundamental beliefs and principles that underpin a brand's culture and decision-making, collectively forming the moral compass of the organization.
