Want long term success for your brand? Look at brand identity

These days everything and everyone is a brand, and for good reason, since having a brand identity makes you unforgettable. But the benefit goes beyond that, way beyond that. Having a brand allows customers to not only identify with you, but also to aspire to live like you. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for many lifestyle brands, and the biggest thing I’ve learned from my experience, is that to gain loyal customers, you need to be aspirational. It should be a part of everything you do, and every place your customers engage with your brand. Whether its when they enter the website or walk through the doors of a store, it should feel the same.

That aspiration makes people emotionally connect with your brand, and they yearn to live the lifestyle you’ve created. And many brands are doing it well, but the Urban Outfitters family of brands seems to have perfected it. From the moment you walk into one of their stores, you are transported to another world.

Through the use of their in-store environments, their product assortment, and their sales associates, they have created an entire experience. And its working for them - they are expected to reach 4.1 billion dollars in revenue by the end of 2019.

So how do all brands follow their lead? Its simple - decide who you are and follow it through, in every aspect of your business. Live the lifestyle you’re selling and your audience will follow. Because that emotional connection people feel with your brand, that will make them customers for life.