Building a strong brand is essential for any business regardless of its size. Branding is what allows you to help your business differentiate itself from competitors, generate new customers, build brand recognition, and build relationships with your audience which can turn them into loyal customers.
When you start to build your brand image it’s vital that you’re authentic – always tell the truth. If you over promise on what your business is trying to offer it can result in a negative brand image which will affect your businesses’ reputation. Some other questions to consider include thinking about your businesses’ values and what you stand for as this can help to shape your brand.
Decide who your target audience is and who your competitors are: Take some time to research the competition by looking on social media, Googling the industry your business is in, and talk to people who are part of your target market as to what they would expect to see from your brand.
Build your brand identity – think of it as a person: You need to ensure that your brand has a personality, what words do you want people to associate with your business and what is your USP? By looking at your brand as a person it will help you to determine its characteristics and how you want people to view your business through its visual and written tone.
Select a name for your business: There’s more to your business than its name. Having an appropriate name will influence how you go about branding yourself and how consumers look at you. The name of your business will help to shape your logo and marketing strategies so it should be easy to remember and sound appealing.
Determine your slogan: Keep your slogan brief, catchy and memorable to create a lasting impression.
Decide how you want your brand to look: Think carefully about the colours and font you use. Take a look at a colour emotion guide as colours can convey different emotions and the feelings you want to communicate to your target audience. Choose a simple font that is easy to read.
Design the logo for your brand: The logo is the face of your company, it should be unique and instantly recognisable. There are different kinds of logos including: abstract, mascot, emblem, letter mark, icon, wordmark, or a combination of logo styles.
Apply your branding across your business: You want to ensure there is consistency when applying your branding across your business whether that’s on social media, in a physical store or on your website. The more consistent you are, the easier it will be to build brand recognition.
Now that you know how to build a brand, it’s time to get started! Spend some time looking at your competitors’ branding and what they do differently. You could also spend some time looking at the branding of well known brands and why you like them.
