How to create a brand

Building a brand from the ground up isn’t an easy task. There are several questions you should ask yourself, such as: How will the brand resonate with your target audience? How should it make people feel? Here’s how you can develop a unique and memorable brand identity for your business.

What exactly is a brand?

“Brand” is one of those words that everyone in business and marketing has used at least once. However, not everyone truly understands its meaning.

A brand isn’t just a recognisable name that distinguishes you from competitors. A brand is the way a company or individual is perceived by others. Much more than the literal logo or products, a brand is the recognisable feeling they evoke. As Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, puts it, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

A brand identity is made up of:

What your brand says
What your values are
How you communicate your products
What you want people to feel when they interact with them.

Essentially, your brand identity is the personality of your business and consistency for your customers. Remember, you can’t effectively create a brand without being consistent and maintaining that consistency in every part of your business.

Why is brand identity so important?

As a small business, you may be competing against much bigger brands with a loyal customer base and bigger marketing budgets. That’s why it’s vital for you to develop a brand identity of your own.

Having a brand identity doesn’t just make your business more memorable; it makes it more reliable in the marketplace. A brand should establish a face, and maintain that consistency in order to develop authenticity and trust among its customers.

Once the business starts attracting customers, that same brand identity will give them a sense of familiarity and belonging. A good product generates customers, but a good brand generates advocates.

How to build a brand

Building a new brand for your new business essentially boils down to these few steps:

1. Research your target audience, as well as competitors.

Before you start making any decisions about creating a brand, you need to do your research to understand the current market, i.e. who your potential customers and current competitors are. Focus on how your customers speak and what they talk about, as well as any competitors’ brands that are established in your local market.

2. Decide on your brand focus and personality.

You can’t establish your brand to be everything to everyone, so find your niche and build your brand around it.

3. Pick a business name.

Your company’s name will be one of the first big commitments you have to make. Choose it carefully, as it will influence everything else including your logo, website domain, and marketing strategy.

4. Come up with an outstanding slogan or tagline.

A catchy, brief and descriptive slogan can help you make a big impact, quickly connect with potential customers, and communicate your point of difference. Keep in mind that you can always change your slogan as you find new angles for marketing.

5. Design your logo and choose your brand look and feel.

Once you’ve chosen a name, you’ll need to think about your brand design and how you’ll visually represent your brand, including your colours and fonts. This is essential when you design your logo and create your website.

6. Apply the chosen branding across your business.

Applying your branding across your business gives it a cohesive brand story, and sets the stage for every interaction customers to have with your brand, either in-store or online.

These are the first steps towards creating your own brand. We hope you’ve learned something valuable after reading this article! If you need any help with your marketing strategies or landing pages, get in touch with us today, or learn more about our Branding and Design services.