It’s not easy to build a brand with a new business. Many questions come to mind: What should my brand look like? What will people get from my brand? Will it reach the target audience effectively?
Making the connection between your product and the consumer will generate questions like this and more. Whether you’re merely contemplating a business idea or have an existing business that you want to make more of an impact with, here are some things to consider when you want to build a better brand for your company.
What is a Brand?
Having a brand is more than just having a logo. In today’s highly competitive market, a brand will help you become distinguished in a sea of competitors. Your brand is how you connect with your existing customers and gain new ones.
The things connected with your business, such as products, logos, names, employees, fonts, jingles, testimonies, and more, make up what your company is about and how the public perceives it. The key to a successful brand is consistency.
Five Important Steps to Build Your Brand
Building a brand on your own requires five basic steps. By following these steps, you can ensure that you’ll create a brand that reaches your target audience with the right message.
#1: Know your target audience and your competitors
Before you start planning your brand identity, you must first consider what the market looks like, what your competitors are doing, and who your potential customers are. A quick internet or social media search will give you a pretty good idea of who your competitors are, who is following them, and what they’re saying.
#2: Choose your business name
Deciding on a name is hard enough for a small business owner. Making that name fit your brand can be even more challenging. You can go the route of name to brand identity (example: The Big Burger Place) or choose something that encompasses a universal message for possible product expansion.
Having a clear vision of what your company is all about will help you determine a name that will represent that vision. So take your time and find the name that works!
#3: Write a company slogan or tagline
Creating a catchy slogan or company tagline is an important milestone as you build your brand. It ties together your company name with your product or service. A few examples include Coca-Cola with “Taste the Feeling” and McDonald’s with “I’m lovin’ it!”
By creating a clever and catchy tagline in the form of a slogan or jingle, you’ll attract customers by associating your message with your product. Make sure to keep your slogan short and to the point, and remember to have fun playing with the words!
#4: What does your brand look like?
Decide on the way you will visually represent your company through the colors and fonts you use. If your brand is about a happy and fun product or service, using dark and gloomy colors or harsh fonts could create confusion. Stick to bright colors and bouncy fonts to imply the right associations.
When you choose your colors and fonts, they can be used across many platforms. From business cards to storefront designs to websites and social media, the way your company looks should be used universally for consistency.
#5: Design your company logo
One of the main things to consider when building a brand is a logo—your company’s signature and the first thing a customer will look for when making a purchase or using your service. It’s the face of your company and will be used on all of your marketing material.
Whether you choose a name, a letter, a symbol or image, or a character for your logo, it can be used in conjunction with all of the other elements in your branding to work as a clear and direct vision for your product.
Remember to Keep Evolving Your Brand
Building your company’s brand doesn’t simply end with a great logo, catchy slogan, and a nice font or color. The brand needs to continue to be consistent with every customer interaction. Whether they interact online or in your store, consistency is the key.
However, your brand is not set in stone. As your customer base grows, the message will have to reflect that growth. Eventually, your message will have to evolve as your customer’s needs shift and change.
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