What is a brand?
Your company’s brand is the way people perceive your business. It’s a set of distinctive features that set you apart from other companies similar to yours, such as your values, your beliefs, and even your motto and logo. Brand identity encompasses several things, which is why it’s important to be able to build a brand. Building a brand doesn’t happen immediately, and it can take a lot of time before you’ve found your true brand identity. Here are some ways to go about building a brand.
#1: Define your target audience.
You have a product or a service that you want to sell, but who do you want to sell it to? The most ambitious answer to this question would be to everyone, but realistically speaking, there’s a specific group of people who will benefit most from what you’re selling, and you’ve got to figure out exactly who they are. This is called target market research, and it can be done with the help of a marketing consultant. Once you’ve figured out who your target audience is, you can determine how you want them to perceive your company, and ultimately, you want them to perceive your company as having a credible brand.
#2: Decide how you want your audience to view you.
Imagine yourself as your ideal customer or client. What kinds of things do you want them to say about your company? Do you want to be known for great customer service, low prices, efficiency, or all of the above? Depending on what type of business you’re running, there may be more things to add, but however you want people to perceive your brand, make sure that that’s what you’re promoting. False advertising is one of the quickest ways to gain negative perceptions and opinions of your brand.
#3: Develop your mission statement.
After you’ve defined your target audience and imagined how your ideal customer would describe you, you will be able to come up with a mission statement. This is a summary of the values of your company and how your products will aim to enhance your customers’ wellbeing. To help develop a mission statement, you should also ask yourself why you decided to start this business in the first place, in addition to reflecting on how you want to be viewed. All of these things can also help you with other aspects of your brand, such as your logo and tagline/motto. This will also be helpful to you when you go to establish your brand as an employer; Your mission statement will resonate with potential employees who are the most qualified to work for your company.
#4: Highlight what makes you unique.
As one of the millions of new business owners, chances are you’re not the first or only person to come up with a product to sell. Even if your product is very different, there are probably similar products like it on the market, so you have to figure out how to make yourself stand out from the crowd. And this may not be just one thing, but a unique collection of things that make you unique to your industry. Maybe you have some educational training that gives you more knowledge about a product (such as having a background in chemistry and you’re wanting to create your own beauty products), but you’re also creative and design all of the packaging of your products.
#5: Create brand visibility.
Now that you have your audience, your mission statement, and your unique identity, it’s time to put yourself out there as a brand. Social media is one of the best places to start since it is something that literally billions of people have access to every single day. Another necessary platform to have is your own business website where all of your potential customers have a place that gives them the most information about your products, and maybe even a way to order your products online. In addition to a website, consider also a blog for your website to provide even more resources and information on your products. This is also a great SEO marketing tool, which will help drive traffic to your website.
Remember to always be authentic and stick to your core values. It will take time to develop a brand identity, but once it’s established, it will remain in the minds of your customers.