How to Build a Brand

[rakibul]

How to Build a Brand
1. Determine your brand’s target audience
1.Single moms who work from home
2.Tech-savvy early adopters
3.College students studying abroad
4.Executive recruiting professionals

Brand creation relies on truly understanding the buyer persona. Here are a few of the things to document when describing your ideal customer:

1.Age
2.Gender
3.Location
4.Income
5.Education Level

To get even more definition for your persona, dive into these details:

1.Motivations
2.Goals
3.Pain points
4.Influencers
5.Brand affinities
2. Establish a brand mission statement
Have you thought about your brand mission? In essence, you’ll have to craft a clear expression of what your company is most passionate about.This is your why; the reason you get up every day.Before you can build a brand that your target audience trusts, you need to know what value your business provides.The mission statement basically defines a purpose for existing. It will inform every other aspect of your brand building strategies.Everything from your logo to your tagline, voice, message, and personality should reflect that mission.When people ask you what you do: answer them with your brand mission statement.
3. Research brands within your industry niche
You should never imitate exactly what the big brands are doing in your industry.But, you should be aware of what they do well (or where they fail).The goal is to differentiate from the competition. Convince a customer to purchase from you over them!We’re always thinking about how to make a brand stand out. Don’t skip this step in the brand building process.Research your main competitors or benchmark brands. For instance, study how well they have gone about building a brand name.For a brand name to be effective, it needs to be easy for consumers to recognize and remember.
4. Outline the key qualities & benefits your brand offers
There will always be brands with bigger budgets and more resources to command their industry.Your products, services, and benefits belong solely to you.Starting a brand that is memorable means you dig deep to figure out what you offer, and no one else is offering.Focus on the qualities and benefits that make your company branding unique.Assuming you know exactly who your target audience is (see Step 1), give them a reason to choose your brand over another.It’s important to note that this is not just a laundry list of the features your product or services offer to the customer or client. Think about how you provide value that improves consumers’ lives (outcomes or results that are experienced).

Here are a few examples:

1.More authentic and transparent customer service.
2.A better way to support productivity.
3.Reducing costs with a more affordable option.
4.Saving time on daily tasks.
Brand Building Example: Apple
5. Create a brand logo & tagline
When you think about how to build a brand, visuals probably come to mind first. This step may be the one where you need help with execution.The most exciting (and arguably the most important piece) of the brand building process, is to create a brand logo and tagline for your company.This logo will appear on everything that relates to your business. It will become your identity, calling card, and the visual recognition of your promise.So be willing to invest the time and money by creating something exceptional to reinforce the visual identity for your business.Need help branding your business? Hire a professional designer or brand agency with logo and identity design experience, to help make your brand stand out. Their expertise will ensure that you get a unique and timeless mark for your business.Their expertise will ensure that you get a unique and timeless mark for your business.A designer can also develop brand guidelines, to ensure consistency for any future application of the logo and associated brand color palette or fonts.

A strong brand style guide will include the following things:

1.Logo size and placement.
2.Color palette.
3.Typography and fonts.
4.Iconography.
5.Photography/image style.
6.Web elements.
6. Form your brand voice
Your voice is dependent on your company mission, audience, and industry.It’s how you communicate with your customers, and how they respond to you.

A brand voice could be:

1.Professional
2.Friendly
3.Service-oriented
4.Authoritative
5.Technical
6.Promotional
7.Conversational
8.Informative
7. Build a brand message and elevator pitch
When building a brand, tell customers succinctly who you are.Use the business voice you have chosen for your brand.Your message should be intricately associated with your brand and conveyed in 1-2 sentences.This part of the brand development process goes beyond your logo and tagline to define the key aspects of:

1.who you are,
2.what you offer, and
3.why people should care.
8. Let your brand personality shine
Customers aren’t looking for another cookie-cutter company who offers the same thing as everyone else.They are looking for an experience tailored to their needs, backed by genuine personal interaction.Be consistent with this brand personality across all points of contact.

It can be as simple as:
1.A conversational voice in communication(using “I”, and “you”).
2.Sharing behind-the-scenes content.
3.Telling stories about real experiences.
4.Describing your products/services in a quirky manner.
9. Integrate your brand into every aspect of your business
The brand building process never stops.Your brand should be visible and reflected in everything that your customer can see, read, and hear.

Let me explain
If a client walks into your office, or a customer walks into your store—your brand image should be on display both in the environment and with personal interactions.Anything tangible–from business cards to advertisements, to packaging and product–needs the stamp of your logo.On any digital platform, ensure that your brand looks the same everywhere. Use your brand style guide to create consistency with visuals such as color and logo use, fonts, photography, etc.Your website is the most important tool for marketing your brand. When you design your website: incorporate your voice, message, and personality into the content.Profile pages for social media networks should be branded visually, and with your chosen voice for engagement.

10. Stay true to your brand building
Unless you decide to change your brand into something that is more effective based on measured consumer response, consistency is key.Once you’ve chosen a brand voice, use it for every piece of content you create. (See above, Step 6 in the brand building process.)Document all the brand guidelines you create and distribute internally for reference.What is brand building worth, if it is not consistent? Don’t constantly change your branding. The inconsistency will confuse your customers, and make long-term brand building more difficult.
11. Be your brand’s biggest advocate
Once you build a brand that works for your small business, you (and your employees) are the best advocates to market your brand.No one knows your brand better than you, so it’s up to you to spread the word.When hiring employees, ensure that they are a culture fit–aligning with the mission, vision, and values of your brand.

Reference:https://freshsparks.com/successful-brand-building-process/