What should people feel?
Will it resonate with the target audience?
When you think about connecting the dots between your product and your target audience, these questions will inevitably arise.
Here’s everything you need to build a strong brand for your business, whether you have a brand already or you want to pivot it.
What is a brand?
A brand is more than just a name or logo that makes you stand out in a crowded marketplace.
You can also think of it as having a brand. Each of us has a name, face, style, way of communicating, and different impressions that we make.
Businesses have to manage their names, products, and logos, as well as colors, fonts, and voices. These are all part of who they are and how they will be perceived.
It is only possible to build a successful brand if you are consistent. You must maintain consistency throughout your entire business. It all begins with defining how you want to feel.
How to build a brand
Seven steps are essential to building your brand.
- Your competitors and target audience should be researched.
- Choose your personality and focus.
- Select your business name
- Your slogan should be written down.
- Select the colors and fonts of your brand.
- Design your logo.
- As your business grows, you can evolve your brand.
It’s important to consider all aspects when you are defining your brand identity. You may revisit certain steps.
Find your niche in the market.
You need to know the market before you can make any decisions regarding your brand. This includes who your customers are and your current competitors.
You can do it in many different ways:
- Search for your category of product or service and look at direct and indirect competitors.
- Subreddits related to your customers can be a great way to listen in on their conversations or product recommendations.
- Ask people in your target market what brands they use.
- Check out the social media pages or accounts that your target audience is interested in and follows.
- Shop online or in-person to get an idea of how your clients would shop and purchase products.
Focus and personality of your brand
- At first, your brand can only be some things for some.
- As you build your brand, it’s crucial to identify your focus.
- You can use these questions and exercises to help you think about your brand’s focus and tone.
What is your positioning statement?
- Positioning statements are one or two sentences that define your position in the market. It’s something other than what you should put on your business card or website. Instead, it’s to help you ask the right questions.
- You compete with your unique proposition of value. Make it part of your messaging.
- If the cause of your company is important to you (e.g. If you are starting a Social Enterprise, you can write out a mission statement that makes a promise to your clients or the world.
Which words would you use to describe your brand?
- You can look at your brand as if it were a real person. What kind of person would your brand be? What type of personality would you want to attract your customers?
- You can use this to help you determine the voice and tone of your social media posts and all your creative work, whether it’s written or visual.
- You can use this exercise to help you create a brand by describing your target audience with 3-5 adjectives. This list of traits will help you start.
Select a name for your business.
- What’s the value of a name? The name of your business is important or not, depending on what kind of venture you are starting.
- We’ve already said that a brand is more than just a name. The personality, actions, and reputation of a brand define words.
- As a businessperson, the name of your company is likely one of the most important decisions you will make. If you choose to do this, it will impact your logo and domain name, as well as your marketing efforts, trademark registration, and your marketing.
- If you plan to expand your product lines in the future, consider keeping your business name broad. This will make it easier to pivot than if you chose a brand name based on what category of products are offered. Consider keeping your business name wide if you plan to expand your product line in the future. This will make it easier to pivot compared to if you selected a brand based on your product category.
