In today’s competitive digital landscape, brand equity is more important than ever. But what exactly is brand equity, and how can it generate value for your business?
In simple terms, brand equity refers to the value a brand adds to a product or service beyond the functional benefits it provides. It’s the intangible asset that can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher profit margins, and greater competitive advantage. Brand equity is built over time through consistent, positive customer experiences and strategic branding efforts. It plays a crucial role in how customers perceive your business, how likely they are to choose your services over competitors, and how much they are willing to pay.
The major components of brand equity are:
Brand name awareness
Brand loyalty
Perceived quality
Brand associations
Often, thought goes into areas like your actual branding (colours, tone of voice, logo), marketing and social media campaigns, and your products or services when looking to improve a brands' equity. But given the key to a truly strong brand is it being a seamlessly 'you' experience end-to-end, it still surprises that me that a businesses' website - probably the most important part of the customers journey if that's where you book your clients or sell your products - is often overlooked. So let's breakdown these components to see how you can leverage your website to strengthen your brand equity.
1. Brand awareness
Brand awareness refers to the extent to which customers can recognise or recall your brand. It’s the foundation of brand equity because, without awareness, customers won’t even consider your services.
Your website is one of the most powerful tools for building brand awareness. A well-designed website with consistent branding elements—such as your logo, colour scheme, and typography—can make your brand more memorable. Moreover, optimising your site for search engines (SEO) helps ensure that potential customers can easily find you when searching for services you offer.
One of my favourite brand awareness examples is Innocent Drinks. The smoothie drinks market is a big one, but Innocent Smoothies have consistently been in one of the top recalled brands when consumers are asked about any smoothie brands they know. They do this by standing out with clear branding - using a consistent colour palette, playful tone, and clear messaging across their website. This consistency reinforces brand recognition and makes them easily identifiable.
How to enhance your website to improve your brand awareness:
Consistent branding: Ensure that your website design aligns with your brand identity. Use consistent colours, fonts, and imagery that reflect your brand’s personality.
SEO optimisation: Implement basic SEO strategies like keyword optimisation, meta tags, and alt text for images to improve your site’s visibility in search engines.
Engaging content: Regularly update your blog or news section with relevant, engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience.
2. Brand associations
Brand associations are the thoughts and feelings that come to mind when people think about your brand. These associations can be influenced by your brand’s messaging, imagery, and the overall user experience on your website.
Your website should convey the right messages about your brand, using design, content, and imagery that align with the values and emotions you want to be associated with. The design should evoke the right feelings—whether that’s trust, excitement, or innovation—depending on your brand’s goals.
Take a look at Tiffany & Co.. Their website’s sleek design, elegant typography, and high-quality images consistently evoke a sense of luxury and exclusivity, aligning with the brand’s premium status and instantly showcasing what type of brand this is, and what type of products they sell, from their website alone.
One of my biggest tests for brand associations is to take away all the product imagery on your homepage. Looking at the website design alone - would you still be clear on what type of brand your website is for? Could you have a guess at the type of product, price point or brand values that business would hold or sell? The answer should be yes to all of those. With Tiffany & Co., when looking at a homepage shot without any product imagery in, the typography, layout and look and feel of this design immediately suggests to me they are selling luxury, higher price point, delicate products.
How to enhance your website to improve your brand associations:
Visuals: Use high-quality images and videos that resonate with your brand’s values. Avoid generic stock photos; instead, opt for original content that truly represents your business.
Messaging: Craft clear, compelling messages that reflect your brand’s mission and values. Use taglines, headlines, and call-to-action buttons that align with the emotions you want to evoke.
User experience: Ensure your website is easy to navigate and provides a seamless user experience. A well-structured website not only enhances usability but also reinforces positive brand associations.
3. Brand loyalty
Brand loyalty is the extent to which customers are committed to your brand and repeatedly choose your services over competitors. High brand loyalty often translates to word-of-mouth referrals, which can significantly boost your business.
Your website should make it easy for loyal customers to engage with your brand, whether that’s through repeat bookings, accessing exclusive content, or participating in a loyalty program. Building a community around your brand through interactive features like blogs, forums, or social media integration can also foster loyalty.
Starbucks is a good example for integrating their loyalty program into their website, allowing users to easily check their points, redeem rewards, and stay updated on promotions. This convenience encourages repeat visits and strengthens customer loyalty.
How to enhance your website to improve your brand loyalty:
Loyalty programs: If applicable, integrate a loyalty program into your website. Allow users to sign up, track points, and redeem rewards easily.
Exclusive content: Offer members or repeat customers access to exclusive content, discounts, or early access to new services.
Community engagement: Use your website to build a community around your brand. Encourage customer reviews, testimonials, and social sharing to create a sense of belonging among your customers.
4. Perceived quality
Perceived quality refers to customers’ perceptions of the quality of your services compared to competitors. It’s not just about the actual quality of your services, but how customers perceive that quality.
Your website should reflect the high quality of your services through professional design, user-friendly navigation, and trust signals like customer testimonials, certifications, and case studies. A well-designed website gives the impression that your business is credible and trustworthy.
Apple’s website is a perfect example of perceived quality. The minimalist design, intuitive navigation, and high-quality visuals all contribute to the perception that Apple products are premium and worth the investment.
How to enhance your website to improve your perceived quality:
Professional design: Invest in a clean, modern website design that reflects the quality of your services. Avoid clutter and focus on simplicity.
Trust signals: Include customer testimonials, industry certifications, and case studies that highlight the effectiveness and quality of your services.
Performance Optimisation: Ensure your website loads quickly and performs well on all devices. Slow loading times can negatively impact perceived quality.
Ready to enhance your website to improve your brand equity?
Brand equity is a crucial factor in the success of any service-based business. By focusing on the four components of brand equity—brand awareness, brand associations, brand loyalty, and perceived quality—you can significantly enhance your brand’s value and drive business growth. If you can nail your brand equity, you can grow customer loyalty, grow sales and grow your market presence. Need help with any of our tips? Get in touch with us and let's improve your website design to improve your brand equity together!