Branding for a company that is new is always going to be a challenge. When it comes to making the best choices for your company in terms of marketing, branding is a huge step towards generating an audience and revenue for your business.
Whether you decide to go it alone or use a professional branding company to help you, there are certain ways to make the most of your brand and help you be seen by the right people this year. Today we are going to take a look at some of the ways you can improve your branding and connect with your audience.
Before you do anything with the branding of your business you need to define who you are. Your brand as a business is the face you put out to the public and it needs to reflect who you are.
Step back and take a look at your business. What do you sell? Who is your target audience? If you are selling cosmetic products your target audience is likely young women between ages of 18-30 and you should build your brand around this.
As a business it is important to have a set of beliefs. Like a person, your business has its own set of morals and beliefs and it is important for you to use these in your branding.
Many companies these days are looking to be more sustainable, and as such your branding should reflect this. Let the world see that you care about the planet and the environment. Be sure that whenever you market your business you reflect the beliefs you have in life.
Every business should have a direction. It is crucial for you to outline where you plan to take your business in the future and ensure that your branding stands up to the challenge.
For example if you are selling a certain kind of product but you want to branch out in the future, you should choose a name and branding that reflects a wider range of products.
As a business owner the main aim is to build long lasting relationships with your customers. You want to build a pool of loyal customers who will always come back to you for their needs as well as who will recommend you to others.
When building a brand it is important for you to consider nurturing those long term relationships. Don’t be too showy or gimmicky, the aim is to prove you are reliable and that you care about each of your customers individually.
Tone of voice is important when it comes to business. As a business you need to put forward a professional and consistent tone of voice that reflects your beliefs.
For example, fashion brands such as Boohoo have a fun tone of voice and often share memes on their social media platforms to appeal to their young audience.
The same goes for companies such as Forbes who share professional articles and interviews with industry leaders to appeal to their older professional audience. Be sure that everything you share matches the tone of voice that you want to put across to your audience.
Don’t simply say the same thing in the same way over and over again because you’ll start sounding like a broken record. In order to make your audience stay interested, you need to mix it up and speak your message in different ways.
When you set up your brand, it is tempting to look to the biggest names in the industry for inspiration. While it’s ok to get some ideas from the big brands, you need to ensure that you don’t take too much inspiration and copy their style.
Have you ever seen those cheap knock off corner shops that share the same logos and colours as the big brands? They look unprofessional and it always gives them a bad reputation. Remember, it is ok to take inspiration but never copy. Be your own brand and be unique.
If you care about animals and animal welfare, show this in your branding. The best way to build a loyal audience as a new business is to show that you care about the causes you support and that you are willing to make the effort to help them.
By showing that you care enough to raise money for a charity or fight against animal testing you will build an amazing reputation and you’ll be able to build a loyal audience who trusts you completely.
When branding for your business it is important for you to choose colours that fit the business. For example, fast food brands work best with bright colours like red and yellow; fashion companies work great with pink and black; and tech companies work best with blue and white.
Make sure the colour scheme you choose for logos and branding reflects what your business is. This makes a bigger impact than you think on your customers.
When you come to create your brand, the most important thing to design is the logo. Your logo will soon become the face of your business and the thing people come to associate with you.
As such, you need to take your time coming up with a logo that reflects your brand accurately and that emits the right atmosphere to the audience. Think carefully about font, images, and colour used in your logo and don’t allow your logo to be mistaken for a similar brand.
Keep it unique and keep it simple so that it is easily recognisable. Designing the best logo will take a few attempts and be sure to get outside opinions on this before you make your final decision.
