So you have a business or a product and that’s all you need right?! If only it were that easy!
Branding is the key component to your product and/or business. Your brand is the first part of your communication with the outside community. It’s your promise to your customer, both present and future. It’s the key expectations of your products and services. The questions to be asked then would be who are you? Who do you want to be? and who do people perceive you to be? Let’s start with some simple steps to get started:
1. A unique and strong definition: At the top of this post, the questions were posed of who are you, who do you want to be, and who do people perceive you to be. To define your brand, these questions are present again. You should be thinking of your journey that got you to this place. Like any business, the journey has likely been full of ups and downs, been time consuming, and likely uncomfortable. Yet those things helped you get where you are now. Answering the following questions can help you in this process:
a. What’s your company’s mission?
b. What are the benefits of your products and services?
c. What do people already think about your company?
d. What qualities do you want associated with your company?
Think of these questions as the basis of your research and development for your company. And don’t guess these things. Ask around. Take the time to actually do your research.
2. A strong brand strategy: Socrates said it best—know thyself. With any business venture, strategy comes into play. Branding strategy is the what, when, where, to whom, and how your brand communicates and is delivered. Consistent branding leads to strong equity, or value. Think of a name brand soda product. Now, think of the “off brand”. One of the simple differences to this is cost. The name brand one is known because of the branding equity that has been built around it. AND people, because they know the brand, are usually willing to pay more. It’s not because the product has done anything life changing for them by any means, it’s just familiar. People being creatures of habit, stick with what they know. So, what do you know about your product, service, or business?
3. A strong brand design: Anyone who wants to be successful with their business needs a great brand design. Once you have the brand design, everything else-logo, the website, packaging, promo material-all communicates your brand.
These are the beginning steps to branding. Of course, we would love to help you on your journey. It’s what we do. And to think there is so much more to be said about branding…
Fact: there’s a lot more to be said about branding.