The first thing you think of when you envision most businesses is their logo and branding. Building the brand is one of the most important parts of building a business of any kind. Whether you want to open a coffee shop or run an influencer account, the way that you brand yourself will play a large role in your success. It is important for showing off who you are to potential customers so that they have a reason to choose you.
For major companies, branding is known for playing an even more influential role than product identity in a lot of cases. It can also speak to the quality of products or the vibe customers experience. Plain and simple, people love a good brand. Now, let’s discuss how to build one and how to make it successful.
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
The goal is not to do business with everybody that needs what you have.
The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.”
– Simon Sinek
Brand Origin
The most important thing your brand should have is a story of its origin that explains why you exist, what problems and pain points you will address or solve, what makes you different and why should people care about your brand. This will serve as the foundation and undertones throughout all of your branding. Your passion for your company should assist you with the who, what, why, and how to distinguish your company from others.
Branding: How It Looks
A big part of branding that people recognize is the actual appearance of a brand. A good brand has a few core colors, a distinct visual appearance, and a logo. These visual elements like color, typography or font, and images make it easy for you to identify a brand just by looking at it. In the same way that we all recognize the white box from Apple or a red can of Coke, a good brand should have a completely original look.
Branding: Building An Identity
Beyond mere physical elements, a lot of other choices go into making a brand. The two most prominent factors are voice and tone. Your brand voice will be the voice that you use to address your customers. It can be found in the way that you write on your website and the kind of language you use. More often than not, the tone will play an important role in branding because it governs how your voice comes out. Are you being casual? Professional? What does that look like for your company? Nike, for instance, gives an intense, competitive voice in a calm, serious tone. Nike provokes its customer with its strong voice and tone to “Just Do It.” A strong brand always includes a strong voice.
Branding: Know Your Customers
Your customers should always come first, which is why you must keep them in mind with branding. You don’t want to build a brand with no potential customer or without having the market of your potential consumers in mind. Really take a moment and think about the type of customers you want to attract. Find out who your target audience is so that you know how to catch their eye, hold their interest, and address their pain. Narrowing down the pain points of your customers that you will address specifically will help maintain your brand consistency. It will help a lot when it comes to making the most of your brand decisions. Let your audience guide your brand and they will respond in kind.
Building a brand is truly about finding a personality for your company. From typography and colors to the voice and tone, you want all these pieces to mesh together. You may need to explore effective ways to present your ideal business identity. There are so many different ways to go about it, and they often vary by industry. If you are looking for a place to get started, try exploring what other brands in your niche are doing. You will love seeing what other people are doing. This is a great way to learn color schemes and design while also gaining some inspiration!
