The term “brand” seems to have become a bit of a buzz word lately. And for good reason. It’s easier than ever to reach potential customers. We’re surrounded by advertising messages every day, so you need a well-defined brand to help set your business apart from your competition.
What is Branding?
A brand is a set of marketing and communication methods that help to distinguish a company from competitors and create a lasting impression in the minds of customers. – Wikipedia
We’re all familiar with the most prominent aspects of a brand—some examples are McDonald’s colors, the Coca-Cola font, and the Nike “swoosh.” These branding elements represent concepts of the overall product or company, but they’re small (albeit very important) pieces of a bigger branding picture. A brand as a whole is more than what we can see, hear and touch—it’s also the way you want to make your customers feel.
Developing Your Brand
Think of branding as a snapshot of your business. Its goal is to portray as much as possible about your product and leave an impact on your audience in as few words and in as little time as possible. Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, your branding needs to speak volumes about your business, your product, your solution, and your values while evoking the appropriate emotion.
To begin developing your brand, start by identifying a few key aspects of your business.
- Identify the solution your product provides and the ideal customer it serves.
- List your values. What do you want to portray about your business to your audience? This list may include words like expertise, customer service, quality, trust, dependability, etc.
- Think about what messages might resonate with the ideal customer you defined. How would you evoke emotion and make a lasting impact on them? Maybe your product helps ease stress. Maybe you want to evoke joy, fun, spirituality, pride, or freedom. Jot these words down.
Next Steps
Now that you’ve established the concept for your brand, you can start building the foundational elements (logo, colors, etc.) and expand from there. Be sure to maintain a clear and consistent voice and vision across all of your marketing initiatives. Your website, print ads, videos, brochures, postcards, radio spots, and social media marketing should compliment each other to reinforce your unique brand. Together, they serve as a portrait of your business for your audience to recognize and relate.
Not sure how to incorporate your brand concept into your marketing efforts? Give us a call! Whether you’re a new business owner in need of branding or have an established business in need of a brand refresh, we love working with clients to develop an image so they can be proud of their business.