Imagine you work in a shared building with other businesses for six months. Every day, you see a man who has an office in the same building. You don’t know his name or what he does, but you know he always wears a black two-piece suit with black laced shoes from Monday to Friday. He has never worn a different color or style of suit in all the time you have seen him.
One day, an unexpected visitor arrives, lost and looking for someone in your building. This visitor has an appointment with a Mr. Emmanuel but does not know where his office is or what he looks like, only that Mr. Emmanuel came highly recommended by a colleague. You are confused because there are over 50 offices in the building, making it hard to pinpoint who Mr. Emmanuel is without more information. Then, the visitor says, “Ah, yes! The person who recommended Mr. Emmanuel mentioned he always wears a black two-piece suit.” Instantly, you remember the man in the black suit and know exactly where his office is, so you direct the visitor accordingly.
This, dear readers, is how branding works.
A brand is what helps distinguish your product or service from others in the market. Your brand is usually identified through your company name, logo, colors, design, message, and other features that help you be unique like Mr Emmanuel’s Black Two-Piece Suit with Black Laced shoes.
It is the image your customers associate your organisation, product, or service with, or how they perceive you. It helps your customer build an emotional relationship with you.
Building a brand is a structured process that will be explained in eight easy steps. Follow these steps to create a powerful brand for your business or personal identity.
- Identify and Research Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial. Focus on their needs and challenges, your product or service should provide a solution for them. Learning about your audience will help shape your brand effectively and keep your marketing efforts focused. Collect both quantitative data (age, gender, occupation) and qualitative data (challenges, needs, lifestyle). Creating a customer profile can help document this information.
- Conduct a Competitor Analysis
Understanding the market landscape is equally important. Analyse what your competitors are offering, their strengths and weaknesses, and how customers perceive them. This will help you differentiate your brand. Use tools like SWOT analysis and perceptual maps. A competitor profile can be a valuable reference when developing marketing strategies or undergoing a rebranding project.
- Define Your Brand Mission Statement
Your mission statement should encapsulate why your brand exists and the values it offers customers. This mission should be reflected in your logo, tagline, marketing messages, and brand personality.
- Develop Your Brand Identity
Your brand identity is how your brand appears to customers. It includes the logo, typography, colors, photography, and iconography.
- Logo: Creating the right logo takes time. It should embody your mission statement and be recognisable without colors. Ensure it scales well at all sizes. Nike, Lamborghini, and Mercedes are well known because of their logos.
- Colors: Select colors that evoke the desired emotions. The palette should be clean, not overwhelming, and complement your logo and brand identity.
- Typography: Choose fonts that align with your logo’s design. Limit yourself to three font types.
- Other Visual Elements: Use illustrations, symbols, and design systems that help your brand stand out while reflecting your identity.
The brand identity prism can help you plan a strong brand identity that embodies your core values.
- Define Your Brand Personality
Consider what qualities your brand would have if it were a person. Define how you want your brand to communicate and behave to establish your brand voice. Assign human personality traits to your brand, using tools like the brand personality spectrum.
- Create a Catchy Tagline/Slogan
Your tagline should succinctly convey what you do in one short, memorable sentence. It should reflect what your brand stands for and often appears on business cards, flyers, websites, etc. For example, the tagline for Nike is “Just do it”
- Market Your Brand
Once your brand is established, it’s time to promote it. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that integrates your brand into all customer touchpoints, such as flyers, billboards, packaging, websites, and emails. Ensure your brand elements are on digital platforms like social media, e-commerce sites, and blogs.
- Stay Consistent Throughout
Maintain consistency in your brand voice and visual elements across all communications. Ensure you promote the brand by creating and sharing brand guidelines. Regularly monitor customer reception and feedback, making adjustments as needed.
Following these steps, you can build a strong, recognisable brand that resonates with your target audience and stands out in the marketplace.
Ready to turn yourself into a brand?