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What is a “brand” exactly?
A brand is more than simply a memorable name and logo that helps you stand out in a crowded market.
Your brand is how people see you wherever they connect with your company—both the impressions you can and cannot influence.
People, too, have brands, if you think about it. Each of us has a name, a face, a style, a method of communicating, distinct impressions we make on different people, and what they say about us when we aren’t in the room.
Similarly, organizations must manage names, goods, logos, colors, fonts, voices, and reputations that define who they are and influence how they are regarded. You can’t establish a brand unless you’re consistent and keep that consistency as you extend your brand into every aspect of your firm. But it all starts with determining what that consistency will look like and the emotion you want it to elicit.
How to Create a Brand
Building your brand essentially consists of seven steps:
- Investigate your target audience and competitors.
- Choose your focal point and personality.
- Choose a name for your company.
- Create a slogan.
- Choose your brand’s appearance (colors and font).
- Create a logo.
- Apply your logo throughout your company and evolve it as you grow.
- While some processes may be repeated as you pivot your brand, you must evaluate each area as you create your brand identity.
Determine your market position.
Before making any judgments on your brand, you must first evaluate the present market, including your potential customers and current competitors.
There are numerous ways to accomplish this:
- Google your product or service category and examine the results for direct and indirect competitors.
- Investigate subreddits related to your clients and listen in on their conversations and product recommendations.
- Talk to people in your target market and find out which brands they use in your industry.
- Examine the appropriate social media accounts or pages that your target audience follows and is interested in.
- Shop online or in-person to get a sense of how your customers would browse and buy things.
Define the focus and personality of your brand.
What words would you use to describe your brand?
What metaphors or concepts would you use to characterize your brand?
You can’t be everything to everyone, especially at first. It is critical to identify your focus and allow it to inform all other aspects of your brand as you construct it. Here are some questions and branding exercises to help you think about your brand’s emphasis and tone.
What is your company’s positioning statement?
A positioning statement is one or two lines that stake out your market stance. This isn’t anything you should put on your website or business card; it’s just something to assist you to answer the proper questions about your brand.
Create a catchphrase
A clever slogan is a nice-to-have asset—something quick and descriptive that you can use in your Twitter bio, website headline, business card, and anywhere else you have a few words to create a big impression. Remember that you can always modify your phrase when you discover new marketing opportunities—Pepsi has gone through over 30 slogans in the last few decades.
Create your logo.
When you think about developing a brand, one of the first things that come to mind is undoubtedly a company logo. With good reason. After all, it is the face of your firm and may appear anywhere your brand appears. Ideally, you’ll want a logo that is distinct, recognizable, and scalable to work at all sizes (which is often overlooked). Consider all of the areas where your brand’s logo must appear, from your website to your Facebook Page’s profile photo, to the small “favicons” you see in your current browser tab. If you use a text logo as your Instagram avatar, it will be nearly impossible to read. Get a square version of your logo with an icon element that remains recognizable even at reduced sizes to make your life easier.
As you expand, apply, extend, and adapt your brand.
Building a brand does not end with the creation of a logo or tagline, or even with the debut of your business. From the theme you chose for your website to the marketing you perform to customer service to the way you package and transport your products, your brand must exist and remain consistent wherever your customers engage with you. As you expose more customers to your brand and learn more about who they are and how to communicate with them, you will continue to shape and evolve it.
Choose the colors and fonts for your brand.
Once you’ve decided on a name, you’ll need to consider how you’ll visually represent your brand, including your colors and fonts. This will be useful as you begin to create your website.
Color Scheme Selection
Colors not only establish the aesthetic of your brand; they also convey the emotion you want to convey and assist you in making it consistent across your whole brand. To prevent misleading customers, pick colors that distinguish you from direct competition. Hue psychology isn’t a precise science, but it may help you make better decisions, especially when it comes to the color of your logo. This infographic provides a good description of emotions and associations that different generally evoke.
