Even though your logo or icon can be the symbol of your business, this doesn't make up your entire brand identity; this is simply one part of your branding.
With billions of people using the internet and social media every day, having a strong brand becomes crucial to differentiate yourself from your competition to sell your product or service and build your business's reputation.
Your brand identity should encapsulate your values, how you communicate your unique value proposition and product and service suite, how you solve the pain point your ideal customer has right now and what your customers feel after having an experience with your business. Essentially your brand identity is the personality of your business and your brand promise to your customers. The desire is to establish a positive image, familiarity and recognition with your niche market.
JASON HARTMAN, AUTHOR OF "BECOME THE BRAND OF CHOICE
Your products and services leave an impression on your customers long after you have made the sale. This is why reselling to your existing customer base becomes a sustainable business strategy for every small business. Brand Identity is the process of shaping that impression.
Your brand identity will attract prospective customers who agree with what your brand has to offer. Once they buy and become customers, that same brand identity gives them a sense of belonging. Enough reason for you to start your community, your tribe of customers who wish to buy and re-buy from your product and service suite, remaining loyal and brand advocates.
Your products and services, logo, icon, slogans, colour palette, packaging, and how you communicate your key messages all play a critical part in your brand identity. Visually representing your business in everything you do will create consistency and help create familiarity and belonging with your customers. An example could be McDonald's golden arches. They used an interesting form to create the iconic yellow "M," which is now recognisable worldwide.
Your branding should be visible through your logo, website, print and digital documentation, and marketing with consistent typography use. If you look at Nike's website and ad campaigns, the same typeface and typestyle are used throughout all aspects of the business -- this works wonders for them.