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7 Branding Trends to Help Your Business Stand Out

"Unlock Your Brand's Potential with Innovative Strategies"

By Amanda Chapman | Founder of I Am ART Agency

A lady in her loft shopping with her Oculus headset on highlighting her fashion choices in thin air inside her loft.

As we dive into 2023, it's vital to stay ahead of the game and leverage the latest branding trends to ensure that your business stands out from the competition. This blog post will look at 7 of the most powerful branding trends set to take over 2023 and how you can use them to maximize your business success. From Augmented Reality experiences and visual storytelling to leveraging user-generated content and social messaging apps, each trend offers a unique way to reach your target audience and create an impactful brand story. So keep reading to discover how to use the latest branding trends to stay ahead of the competition and make your business stand out.


The 7 Branding Trends To Help Your Business Stand Out


1. Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences


Augmented Reality (AR) experiences are one branding trend that will help your business in 2024 and beyond. AR can open up valuable opportunities for customer engagement, product promotion, and innovation. By bringing physical items alive through digital technology, businesses can blur the lines between real and virtual worlds and create highly immersive marketing experiences. In addition, with many customers now using mobile devices, AR opens up new avenues for exploring products with tools such as 'try it on' features for clothes, providing the unique opportunity to enhance the tactile user experience. As branding becomes an increasingly important tool in business success, adopting trends like AR will become essential to ensure your business remains competitive.

“By leveraging the power of AR for branding success, businesses can create dynamic customer experiences that become incredibly memorable and stand out from their competition.”

What is AR, and how can it be used to enhance customer experiences


AR integrates real-life views with digital objects overlaid on top of them to create a magical experience. Imagine being able to virtually sample shades of lipstick at your favorite store or step inside a theme park right in the comfort of your own home—AR can make it happen! It's no wonder that experts estimate the global market for AR hardware will reach billions of dollars by 2025. By investing in AR now, companies can be sure they're setting themselves up for success in the years ahead.


Examples of businesses using AR to stand out from the competition


Augmented reality (AR) revolutionizes how businesses stand out from their competition. AR-assisted marketing initiatives have already proven to increase customer engagement and brand recognition, helping ensure a company can capture the attention of its intended demographic. For example, IKEA released an app that uses augmented reality to let customers "try before they buy" by placing 3D furniture models over a real-time view of their home. Similarly, Fisher-Price has incorporated AR into its product range with Learning Lodge Navigator, allowing parents to get detailed information about their baby products in various languages through visual AR technology. Even popular cosmetic brands like L'Oréal are using AR to engage customers–allowing them to virtually experiment with different makeup looks without purchasing the products. By incorporating such innovative uses of augmented reality into their strategies, businesses are finding tremendous success on the market and attracting more customers as they continue to move forward in this digital age.


How your business can leverage the power of AR for branding success


Augmented Reality (AR) has the tremendous potential to revolutionize branding success and can be leveraged by businesses in innovative ways. With this technology, companies can create dynamic customer experiences that become incredibly memorable due to their engaging nature. By implementing AR, businesses can also showcase their branding messages to a broader audience because they can quickly generate digital content that is eye-catching and impactful. In addition, AR branding campaigns increase consumer engagement and allow customers to interact with your brand in an exciting way. By using AR, you can set yourself apart from your competition in a creative way and establish trust with customers. By effectively leveraging the power of AR for branding success, you can make sure your business reaches its goals and stands out from the crowd.


Shot on Iphone campaign on the side of road with moving blurred cars


2. Visual Storytelling


What is visual storytelling, and how can it benefit your business?


Visual storytelling is a powerful tool for businesses seeking to engage their customers. By utilizing stories through visuals such as images, videos, and infographics, you can bring your message to life in a way that may not be possible with written words alone. Moreover, visual storytelling allows for creative interpretations of complex ideas and topics and enables audiences to understand your message more quickly and effectively. Furthermore, visually documenting a specific journey can help tell meaningful stories that leave a lasting impact on potential customers. By utilizing this effective medium, businesses can attract their audience and make them feel invested in their product or service. Therefore, visual storytelling is invaluable in reaching and connecting with customers - so any business looking to make an impact should consider leveraging it.


Examples of compelling visual storytelling from successful brands


Brands looking for examples of compelling visual storytelling should draw inspiration from the most successful ones. Iconic logos, such as the Nike swoosh, instantly evoke a certain feel or emotion in the viewer and tell a brand story without any additional context. Similarly, Coca-Cola uses bright visuals and its famous bottle shape to communicate a message of happiness and timelessness. In 2019, National Geographic's popular hashtag campaign, #YourShot, successfully pivoted its exclusive photo community to encompass both amateur and professional photographers. By tagging their photos with the hashtag, these users had the chance to have their images featured on the page, which in turn aided in National Geographic page gaining 4.2 million followers. Similarly, Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaign allowed amateur photographers to share their own photos taken with the device. By giving them a platform to show off their skills and creativity, Apple was able to reach an even wider audience and create user-generated content that could be shared around the world. Both of these campaigns were highly successful in using social media as a tool for furthering engagement and inspiring creative expression.By leveraging powerful visuals and simple but meaningful messages, many brands have showcased their stories through captivating scenes and engaging advertisements.


Tips for using visual storytelling to tell your brand story


Utilizing visual storytelling is an effective way to excite and engage your audience and help your brand stand out in the marketplace. An effective strategy for optimizing visuals is creating an original narrative that draws on emotional and factual content and then breaking this story down into smaller stories expressed through captivating visuals. Next, invest in high-quality images, videos, graphics, and more - using authentic content helps you create a lasting positive impression. Finally, use visual storytelling consistently to keep your audience engaged, ensuring your message resonates with them over time.



Starbucks Instagram post with 3 ladies hands holding up their Starbuck drinks to symbolize an example go UGC.

3. Focus on UGC (User Generated Content)


What is UGC, and why should it be a priority for businesses?


User-generated content (UGC) is the collective term used to describe any digital media created by users and shared online with others - this can range from simple comments all the way up to entire videos, blog posts, and more. A business should prioritize UGC because it is an invaluable way of creating meaningful customer interactions. It amplifies traditional marketing efforts to develop trust amongst target audiences and strengthens relationships as more people become involved in providing thoughts and feedback on products or services. Additionally, UGC allows customers to be part of an online community, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and higher levels of customer engagement. As businesses look for new ways to create engaging customer experiences, taking advantage of user-generated content should remain a priority.


Examples of how businesses are using UGC for branding success


In recent times, businesses have realized the immense potential of User-Generated Content (UGC) for branding success. From appealing visuals to powerful consumer stories, UGC is one of the most valuable tools for creating high-value brand engagement. Companies are leveraging platforms like Instagram and Snapchat to collate their customers' posts and videos and use these in their campaigns. Numerous examples of businesses have increased their reach and improved customer sentiment through the successful implementation of UGC. These include small corporations and prominent industry leaders such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Starbucks. UGC should be remembered for any business looking to maximize its potential - it could be a game changer toward branding success.


Strategies for leveraging UGC to increase brand awareness and engagement


Leveraging user-generated content (UGC) on social media is one of the most influential and valuable strategies for increasing brand awareness and engagement. By actively encouraging customers to create content, post reviews, and share photos related to the brand, businesses can reach a greater audience without investing in costly marketing efforts. A well-crafted UGC campaign allows companies to leverage existing audiences to spread their message, establish loyalty with existing customers, generate new leads, and drive sales over time. Properly implemented, UGC can help brands big and small benefit from word-of-mouth advertising at a fraction of the cost of traditional campaigns.


Blurred female at her desk doing a podcast with her iPhone showing the recorded image of her live streamed broadcast


4. Innovative Content Marketing


What is content marketing, and why is it essential?


Content marketing is a vital part of any marketing strategy. It involves creating content that educates, entertains, and engages people to develop customer relationships and attract potential buyers. Content can be presented in many forms, such as blog posts, video tutorials, podcasts, social media posts, and much more. Besides building trust by providing relevant information to customers, content marketing also helps increase companies' visibility online through improved search engine rankings. Additionally, it can drive organic traffic to a website and even generate leads when targeted correctly.


Ultimately it is essential to understand how content marketing works and its advantages in today's world of digital media if brands are looking to succeed in their online presence.


Examples of how businesses are using innovative content marketing strategies to stand out from the competition


With the competition in business growing higher and higher, finding innovative ways to stand out is essential for success. Content marketing strategies can give a company the edge to differentiate itself and get noticed. Examples of unique content marketing include creating valuable instructional videos that educate customers on a product or providing interactive infographics that showcase how products are made. A successful content marketing approach also usually involves taking advantage of digital platforms and staying active across popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In addition, crafting original content while keeping up with customer interests can boost one's market presence. In short, businesses must think beyond traditional approaches to construct innovative content marketing that reaches their target audience and generates results.


Tips for creating content that resonates with your target audience


Understanding what they need is one of the essential tips for creating content that resonates with your target audience. Assessing and studying their wants and needs will provide helpful insight into what kind of content you can use to best reach out to them. Additionally, it's essential to consider the tone of voice used in your content, as it can be powerful in reaching and engaging a specific audience. Using a credible, kind, and honest tone helps build trust with the reader, which increases the chances of them returning for more. Finally, never underestimate the power of storytelling; making each story relevant and connected to your products or services allows readers to route themselves in a message and interact with your brand differently than ever before.


Mature lady fashion influencer doing a live broadcast holding up a shirt and blazer in front of her camera with shopping icons floating in green, blue, and red

5. Influencer Marketing


What is influencer marketing, and how can it help your business?


Influencer marketing is a powerful tool for businesses of any size. It is a form of marketing that relies on key opinion leaders and influencers to promote your products or services. To do this, these influencers use their networks on social media or digital platforms to connect with potential customers, create engaging content, and share product or service recommendations. As a result, businesses can leverage the influence of these industry leaders and benefit from increased visibility and an amplified customer base. Furthermore, influencer marketing can help build trust and relationships over time as influencers provide honest reviews about the products/services they are promoting, which adds value to potential customers looking for specific solutions. For these reasons, savvy businesses should consider incorporating influencer strategies into their overall plans to grow their brands and stay competitive in today's market.



Examples of businesses successfully leveraging influencers to increase brand awareness


Businesses worldwide have discovered the effectiveness of leveraging influencers to increase brand awareness. Influencers are often seen as more reliable than the brands themselves, allowing businesses to gain credibility and trust with potential customers. TikTok has been incredibly successful in this area. By partnering with influential users on the platform, many companies have been able to attract new customers cost-effectively while cultivating relationships within their target markets. For example, athleisure brand RYU partnered with Instagram influencers to showcase their new product line on the platform, resulting in an increase of 20% more followers and 20% more engagement. By choosing influencers that aligned with their target audience and having them create original content that highlighted the features of their products, RYU was able to reach a wide range of potential customers and build brand loyalty. This demonstrates how businesses can use influencer marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and maximize customer engagement.


Tips for finding the right influencers for your business


Finding the right influencers for your business can be a daunting task. It can feel like you're navigating an uncharted ocean, but with these tips, you won't have to worry about losing yourself at sea. First, it's crucial to determine what type of content your business needs and the goal of each campaign. This will help you identify influencers who specialize in the topics relevant to your business and ensure that their campaigns resonate with your target audience. In addition, research the influencer's audience size, demographics, and engagement rate. This will provide valuable insights so you can ensure they have an existing following that forms an effective platform for communicating with potential customers. Finally, check carefully the influencer's content creation quality and investment terms that would suit your budget perfectly. By following these tips throughout this process, you'll find yourself closer to finding ideal influencers for your business quickly and effectively.


Faceless image of people on their phone with icon counters in red and white for like likes and comments and thumbs up in blue for social media

6. Utilizing Social Messaging Apps


What are social messaging apps, and why should they be prioritized?


Social messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and Instagram DMs will become even more important for personal and business communication. These digital services provide users with a fast and reliable way to chat, exchange messages and multimedia, send files, and access various other useful features from their mobile devices or desktop. They are beneficial for businesses whenever collaboration within teams and customer communications must be carried out quickly and efficiently. Given their value in facilitating communications of all kinds, companies should make it a priority to ensure they are taking full advantage of these social messaging apps to build relationships with their customers.


Examples of companies using social messaging apps to engage customers


Companies realize the value of using social messaging to engage with their customers. Examples of companies using social messaging apps to engage customers include Amazon's use of Instagram Direct Messages to answer customer inquiries, Sephora's utilizing WhatsApp for personalized beauty advice, and Patagonia using Twitter direct messages to deliver product recommendations. Additionally, Adidas has implemented a chatbot on Facebook Messenger that provides sports-related content tailored specifically to its users. These are just a few examples of how businesses utilize social messaging apps to engage with their customers and provide them with the best possible experience. This strategy allows companies to improve customer satisfaction by quickening response time and providing easier access to customer service. Brands that have successfully used these tactics prove that businesses can implement this approach in more parts of their customer service and marketing strategies with excellent results.


Tips for leveraging social messaging apps for branding success


Social messaging apps have revolutionized how businesses market and interact with their customers. What was once done over the phone or in person is now possible through messaging apps. Consider a few essential tips to leverage these tools for maximum impact. First, focus on delivering offers and promotions that customers can take advantage of. Second, use the platform to provide helpful resources such as blog snippets and FAQs and provide opportunities for peer-to-peer referrals. Third, engage guests over time to build trust; track metrics such as open rates, click-throughs, unsubscribed, and conversions to help guide future decision-making processes. By keeping these tips in mind, you can position your business for more successful engagement with your target audience using social messaging apps.



Co working space with young adults and a lady walking with laptop in her hands blurred

7. Developing a Visual Identity


What is a visual identity, and how can it help your business stand out?


A visual identity is a powerful tool for businesses looking to stand out in their industry and create a lasting impression on customers. It involves creating a unique look for your business that encompasses logos, typography, color palettes, and other visual elements. By leveraging this cohesive aesthetic in all your marketing materials, from branding collateral to digital campaigns, you can ensure that your business's message is communicated consistently and effectively across multiple channels. Additionally, when used strategically, it can help cultivate an emotional connection with consumers that sets you apart from the competition. Finally, a solid visual identity will help draw attention to your business's offerings and service capabilities throughout the customer journey. As such, taking the time to establish an eye-catching, value-adding visual identity is an essential investment for any company looking to maximize visibility and build its competitive edge.


Examples of businesses using visuals to create an impactful brand story


Businesses increasingly incorporate visuals into their brand story to create impactful and memorable marketing strategies. For example, Apple does an excellent job of using powerful visuals in its campaigns that illustrate the effectiveness of its products. They emphasize simplicity and cleanliness through high-quality photographs and videos, putting their products front and center as the stars of their stories. Likewise, Asana, a project management software for organizations, uses visuals to match the energy of their culture. Their visuals have a vibrant aesthetic that conveys optimism regarding achieving success through collaboration, showing users what's possible when organizations come together with purpose and enthusiasm. Ultimately, modern businesses are leveraging visually-driven stories to illustrate the value and reliability of their offerings - making an impact on customers along the way.


Tips for creating a compelling visual identity that resonates with your target audience


Creating a compelling visual identity that resonates with your target audience is vital for success in the corporate world. It begins with researching the interests and needs of your target audience, so you can design visuals around those ideas. Next, incorporate personal touches such as your brand's story into the materials to create an emotional connection between your brand and your target customers. Third, utilize imagery, colors, fonts, and other elements within a consistent visual style to ensure recognition even in passing. Finally, always seek feedback from customers and industry professionals to ensure your visual identity resonates with the right people. With these tips in mind, creating a compelling visual identity is achievable.


Are you ready for the seven branding trends that can help your business?


As businesses enter the new decade, staying on top of the latest branding trends is essential to surviving in a rapidly changing marketplace. This brings an array of opportunities to get ahead of the competition, with many emerging trends providing value to businesses that want to make their mark. Among them are developing creative and memorable identities, leveraging different online and offline strategies for maximum reach, using out-of-the-box techniques such as interactive experiences, embracing colors, animations, and illustrations for a unique user experience, and investing in emotional storytelling. Furthermore, keeping up with technological advances such as AI-powered technologies or virtual events can give businesses a natural edge over competitors. Ultimately these seven techniques will raise brand awareness and leave an ever-lasting impression on customers who choose the brand.


Leveraging current trends can have a significant impact on both the current and future success of a brand. Understanding consumer behavior and preferences are critical to take advantage of these new opportunities. Developing an individualized strategy by taking into account the different market segments and analyzing data such as consumer demographics and purchase history can help you make well-informed decisions to maximize growth. Allocating resources correctly, such as marketing budget and resources for customer service initiatives, is also essential in targeting a suitable customer base. In doing so, brands can consistently ride on industry changes for tremendous success.


I Am ART Agency -A, Full Service Branding Agency


If you're looking to create a visual identity for your brand that resonates with your target audience, look no further than I Am ART Agency. Our experienced designers and strategists will work with you to develop an effective design system that communicates your brand's personality. So take advantage of our experts today and start making an impact with your unique visual identity. Contact us now to get started!



What do you think are the essential aspects of branding?

  • A recognizable logo

  • Unique and memorable colors

  • Consistent messaging

  • Clear, relatable value proposition

You can vote for more than one answer.






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