Want to build a better image for your company in 2022? This guide to branding will help you learn the steps.
When it comes to branding, most business owners simply think about logos and colours. But, the truth is that branding is about a lot more than just visual elements that help recognize a business. Branding is about your business’s impact on a customer and how it sends a message.
Think about it: Products are so much more than just products. Coca-Cola is not just a soda. Starbucks is not just a coffee. And Ray-Ban is not just a pair of sunglasses. These products are all about creating and providing experiences. That’s why companies market them in a way that helps consumers immerse themselves in the experience the product was designed to offer. That is why they create a brand for their product.
From the language used on social media to the colour palette, the materials used in packaging, the logo, and the mission statement, companies who want a strong business create a consistent brand that lives everywhere.
Here’s the ultimate guide to branding that will help you create a better image for your business in 2022!
As it is with pretty much any kind of marketing and advertising effort you make, you need to keep your target audience in mind when building a brand. Here’s the deal: if your brand doesn’t resonate with your audience, it won’t lead to awareness, recognition, trust, and, ultimately, increased revenue.
So, before you start crafting a brand for your business, you need to understand to whom your brand will be speaking and who it aims to attract. Start by defining your ideal customers. Understand who this buyer persona is, and everything that defines them from values to pain points your business can address, age, gender, and so on.
Next, take your understanding to a deeper level and understand how you want your target audience to connect with your brand. Here are a few questions to ask yourself that can help you determine which direction to choose for your brand:
- How would you want your clients to describe your business?
- What do you want people to think and feel when interacting with your company?
- What problems will you be solving by offering your product/ service?
Identify your mission
The next step in creating a solid brand is getting a clear idea of why you started your business. Getting an answer to this is the way to build your mission statement, which is represented by your company’s purpose and passion.
Before you can build a brand that attracts, you need to make sure that your business is one that audiences recognize, value, and trust. And, for that, you need to be able to communicate your purpose to your audience.
From here, every part of your brand, be it your logo, your tagline, or your voice, will reflect your company’s mission and vision. Think of your mission statement as a crucial step for your brand manifesto, which tells you and helps you tell your audience why your company exists and why people should care about that.
Define what makes you unique and competitive
Most industries today are very busy and competitive. So, next, you need to figure out what sets you apart from your industry rival. Only this way you’ll be able to build a brand that stands out from the crowd, and people truly recognize.
The brand is basically that one thing that no other business can mimic, legally speaking. Because of that, you need to make sure that your brand fully represents you and underlines the most unique and nice things about you.
So, take a moment and create a list of those things that set your business apart from others. But, try to think more than just product features or appearance. Think about how your service or product improves people’s lives and contributes to solving certain pain points they have.
As the branding experts from DPDK explain, “Once you know your company’s unique qualities, you can incorporate them in your brand, outlining them as your unique values and benefits. Highlighting these is the easiest way to help consumers trust your products and choose you over your competitors.”
Get visual
At this point, you probably already have a consistent picture of your target audience, your mission statement, and the unique qualities that set your business apart. It’s time to move to the exciting part of creating a brand: getting visual.
Every brand has certain visual assets that are extremely important for brand recognition and awareness. These visual assets include:
- Logo
- Colour palette
- Typography
- Iconography
- Other visual components
Think about Coca-Cola, for example. Everybody instantly thinks about the taste of the soda the moment they interact with the company’s visual assets, be it the red and white logo or the font. That’s how powerful branding can be when you get it right.
As you create your brand’s visual assets, make sure to incorporate everything you have learned until this step, from what your target audience likes and needs to the ways your business differs from others.
When getting to the design part, also make sure that you consider designing a brand’s visual assets that will not look outdated in five or ten years. Remember that your logo and other visual elements need to hold up over time.
Find a brand voice and be consistent
Every brand also needs a voice to communicate all the messages it has to share with its target audience. Some brands can be friendly, while others can sound uber professional. How do you want your brand to sound like?
To find your brand’s voice, think about what you’d like your brand to sound if a customer would have a conversation with it. How you communicate with your target audience will be part of your branding, so it must be a voice that connects and resonates with your target audience.
