After you’ve worked on and with your brand for a while, you become very familiar with its strengths--and its quirks (no brand is perfect). Pretty soon, your brand is as familiar to you as the route you take to get home from work. It’s easy to forget that new customers may not relate to your brand the same way you do. But you can’t forget how impactful a first experience with a brand is to establishing loyalty. Studies show how important trust, relevance, and relatability are for consumers to connect with a brand and build brand loyalty. It’s imperative to understand the first impression and personality that your brand is portraying.

We recommend re-introducing yourself to your brand by personifying it. No, I am not talking about turning your brand into the next Siri, Alexa, or Flo from Progressive. Rather, here are some questions to get you thinking about your brand’s human qualities and unique personality.

Does your brand have a tone?

When you write brand messaging, is the tone gentle or assertive? Funny or serious? Does your brand lend itself to a more traditionally masculine or feminine approach? These questions can help you refine your brand’s look and feel, and the words you use to describe your brand in ad copy and content.

How hip is your brand?

What vocabulary do you use when you communicate with your audiences? And what platforms do you rely on to reach them? These are important indicators to determining the “hipness” of your brand and creating content that aligns to the platforms you’re using to reach your customers.

What kind of car does your brand drive?

The car industry has a long history of appealing to specific customer segments with the type of styling it uses. In turn, that styling comes to embody the brand. Case in point: there’s a big difference between a Bugatti and a Buick--and the type of person who drives each. You can use car brands as an easy shorthand for characterizing your brand. Is it practical and reliable, flashy and cutting edge, or luxurious and sophisticated?

Where does your brand live and work?

The answer to this question isn’t where you should target your next marketing campaign, but the type of environment and community your brand is drawn to. What would your brand want to be surrounded by?

What are your brand’s interests and hobbies?

Is it reading a book and staying informed? Taking a weekend road trip to the countryside? Going to a concert? Surfing or skateboarding? Community theater or seeing the latest Marvel movie release? Figure out what your brand likes, what it does well, and most importantly, the type of customer who likes the same things.

Try doing this exercise with your entire team. Not only will it help reintroduce you to an old friend, but it can also breathe fresh life into the perspective your marketing team is taking to your brand. Need help getting started? Contact LMD today how help with the first date with your brand and moderating the conversations.