Branding is the way your company presents itself to the world. It comprises a lot of different aspects like: image, voice and audience.
We’re going to go over what you can do to build your brand and create a better company.
1. Create a Brand Identity
Although the look of your brand isn’t everything when it comes to branding it’s a good place to start.
When you’re creating a brand identity, you’ll want to figure out how you want to make people feel. Once you’ve decided that then you can start to design your image.
You’ll want to create an identity that is easy recognizable. Think of some of the big brands. What do you think of when you see red and yellow? McDonalds. What about when you see the green M for Monster? Create a logo that is distinctive and uses colors that represent the feeling you want to convey.
2. Define Your Audience
Audience is an important aspect of branding. How can you draft your message without knowing who you’re speaking to?
When you’re determining who your target audience is here are a few things to consider.
- Who does your product serve?
- What demographic do you want to reach?
- What is your company’s mission?
- Can my audience afford my product or service?
- What values are important to you?
Once you’re able to determine who you want to target you can begin to brand a message.
3. Develop Your Voice
Now that you know who you want to talk to, you need to develop your voice.
Voice is the way your brand expresses who it is, usually in writing. A brand’s voice helps keep things consistent across all branding efforts.
When you’re developing your voice, you should consider what feelings you want to portray. Do you want your brand to be funny, serious, friendly? Once you’ve decided on that you can start determining your what your voice sounds like.
Next, you can find key words or phrases that will help define your voice. When you use these words or phrases consistently it will help build an association between your brand. Your audience may even start using these phrases in their own lives, which will help grow your brand.
4. Be Consistent
The biggest part of building a brand is consistency. Make sure the brand identity you’ve developed is consistent throughout all parts of your branding.
If you decided that your brand wants people to feel happy and excited, then you’ll want your image and your voice to match that. A black website that has a convoluted voice isn’t going to achieve your goal. Instead, you’ll want to use bright colors in your design and have an upbeat voice.
5. Develop a Branding Strategy
Nothing can move forward without a concrete strategy and branding isn’t any different. In order to create a successful brand you need to determine how you’re going to do it. Here are a few things to consider when you’re developing your branding strategy.
Use Social Media
Social media is an essential tool in marketing and it’s a perfect place to implement your branding strategies. People are going to recognize your visual branding first. You want them to be able to know something is yours right when they look at it. Then, you’ll want to connect with them using your voice. Social media is great because it can connect your brand identity like nothing else can. Plus, it gives you a chance to interact with potential customers and win them over.
Reward Loyalty
Whether you’re creating a new brand identity or improving on the one you have, it’s important to make your customers a part of your brand.
When you’re starting out new, make sure you find a way to thank each person who supports your business. Or, if you’re rebranding and already have a strong customer base, then find ways to show them you’re still there for them while you’re also taking on new clients. Check out this post on customer appreciation for ideas.
Include Emotion
Humans aren’t completely rational and your branding shouldn’t be either. Using emotion in your branding is a surefire way to get your clients to really connect with your brand.
Go back to your brand’s identity. How do you want to make people feel? What can you do within your brand to bring those emotions to the surface? Perhaps you’re a dentist and you want your patients to feel comforted and relaxed. You’ll want to include photos of people smiling while talking with a dentist. You’ll use colors that are peaceful. And your voice will convey assurance and peace. Emotion can be and should be used in every aspect of your branding.
Do you have any other questions about branding? Let us know!
