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Your brand is the identity of your company. It’s how people will remember you and your business. It’s also how you as a leader in your industry can build authority and a positive reputation. No matter how small or large your business is, having a powerful and effective brand identity is one of the most valuable assets you have in leveraging a successful business.
The biggest misconception is that a brand is simply a logo, colors, or design that sets your business apart from others. While those aspects may be a few pieces of the marketing puzzle, it’s not the entire picture.
So how do you get started? Here are helpful ways to start brainstorming and implementing your brand identity whether you are at the beginning stages of building your business or are looking to rebrand altogether.
Understand and Research Your Target Audience
When you start considering what your brand will look, sound, and feel like, you first need to determine who your target audience is. Ultimately the goal of your business is to provide some type of product or service that serves the needs of someone in particular. Your brand should resonate with who it is you’re speaking to. Otherwise, if you find your brand to be too vague or attempt to reach too many people, your business will get lost in the sea of competition.
What Sets Your Business Apart from Your Competition?
Speaking of the competition, what is it that sets your business apart from everyone else? There should always be uniqueness when considering your brand. It creates a memorable factor that will be long-lasting, and maintain within the memory of your potential customers. Maybe it’s the way you give back to the community, or perhaps it’s a certain aspect of how they treat their employees. Find what gives your business the “special sauce” that sets you apart.
Create a Mission for Your Company
A mission statement is crucial for your brand identity. This answers the question for your customers of what it is your business stands behind. For example, TOMS shoe company’s mission has recently been rebranded to, “Shoes For Moving Forward.” Their goal is to have their company stand behind the idea that their business model is meant to improve the lives of other people.
Since their creation, the company has done this by providing a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair that was sold. Since their rebrand, they still stand behind the idea of using business to improve the lives of others, but now their mission is to provide $1 for every $3 the company makes to go towards grassroots organizations.
Know what drives your business and brainstorm a powerful mission statement that will keep your customers coming back for business.
Determine Your Colors and Font Type
Determining a color palette and font type for your business can be an extremely fun endeavor but can be tricky if not executed well. Various colors and fonts ignite different emotions in people. Once you figure out who your target audience is and what their personality is like, research colors that would resonate with them.
If you’re a real estate agent, various shades of blue are usually a good place to start. The color represents loyalty and confidence, and is known for being very calming. These are all qualities you’d want to exude when trying to have someone buy a house from you or when they begin to acknowledge you as a real estate expert in their area.
Your print materials such as real estate postcards, flyers, or business cards will also want to reflect the same colors and font type as your website and social media presence.
Create a Logo
While this may sound like a straightforward part of the branding process, it’s crucial to get it right from the start. It might be beneficial to hire a graphic designer for your logo if you don’t have previous design experience.
Big brands like Nike or McDonald’s will forever be recognized when driving down the highway or labeled across the back of someone’s shirt. This is because they’ve created a logo that uses other various branding techniques to create something memorable. Take your time with it, and again, it might be worthwhile to hire someone for the extra help.
The most important thing to remember when working on your brand identity is to be consistent with everything you do. From the colors and font type you create to how frequently you share your content online, consistency promotes a level of trust with your potential customers.
