Building a brand from the ground up can be a lot of fun. You get to cultivate a brand new personality for your business! That said, it’s also not as easy as popular brands make it look.
Your brand identity is one of the key features of your marketing strategy. If you don’t want to become one of the 20% of businesses that fail within the first two years, you need to pay a lot of attention to brand development.
We’re here to help you get started. Keep reading to learn all about what building a brand identity entails.
Brainstorming and Research
The first step of brand development is the brainstorming and research stage.
When you first start trying to build your brand identity, look at other successful brands both within and outside of your niche. What makes them so memorable?
For example, look at Wendy’s. Not only have they created a memorable logo and a unique feature (square burgers), but they’ve also cultivated a witty social media personality that makes them recognizable. This is innovative marketing.
Once you finish the research process, start figuring out how you can use popular techniques for your own brand identity (without mimicking them). What aligns with the image of your brand that you have in mind?
Developing a “Personality”
Consumers like to see brands as “people.” This means that your brand needs a personality. This personality should be consistent across all of your customer communication methods (such as social media, emails, and customer service).
What personality would fit your brand? For a business that requires more “seriousness,” like a law firm, you’ll want to be authoritative, but approachable. For a “fun” business like a bakery or an ice cream shop, you may want to cultivate a peppy personality.
That personality will present itself in your brand “voice.” You can learn how to maintain that voice by studying creative writing features such as tone.
Aesthetic Features
What colors and images do you want to associate with your brand?
Start by designing a logo. This doesn’t have to be the logo that you end up using, but it’s a good starting point. By designing your logo, you’re establishing a color scheme and an overall “aesthetic” for your brand identity.
Stay consistent with that aesthetic. Use it for all of your promotional materials, social media pages, websites, and merchandise (if applicable). If you’re struggling, consider using an expert in the marketing industry, like The MRKT Co, to get you started.
Setting and Monitoring Goals
Before you launch your brand, set goals. What do you aim to achieve by establishing your strong brand identity? How will you measure those achievements?
Make sure all of the goals are measurable. For example, if you want to attract social media followers with your brand identity before you launch your business, set a number of followers and a launch date so you can know when (or if) you meet your goal.
If you’re not meeting those goals, be flexible enough to make changes.
Building a Successful Brand Identity Is Crucial
Your brand identity is your first impression for your customers. If you want to attract new customers, even before you launch your business, make sure that your brand image makes an impact. It’s time to start brainstorming!
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