An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. But what exactly does “branding” mean? Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.
Are you the innovative maverick in your industry? Or the experienced, reliable one? Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can’t be both, and you can’t be all things to all people. Who you are should be based to some extent on who your target customers want and need you to be.
The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials–all of which should integrate your logo–communicate your brand. – Entrepeneur.com
Branding is a culmination of your entire business, it’s the look and the feel of everything you do, everything you produce, and every interaction you have.
So… how do you figure out what your brand should be? Take some time to go through the bullets below to help you determine where your brand stands now, and how to get where you want it to be.
Does your company have:
- a logo
- a font set
- a color scheme
- merch
- a website
- core company values
- reputation [whether good or bad, this is part of your brand]
- packaging
- what other items do you think make up how your world feels about your business?
Now ask yourself a few questions –
- Do these items tell a story together? Are they cohesive?
- Is there any part of your business that isn’t in line with your core values?
- What strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats [SWOT] does your business have?
What did you come up with? Is your brand cohesive or all over the place? Are you happy with how your company voice comes across to the public and how do your employees & clients respond to it?
Over the next few weeks we’ll be going deeper into branding design and how it is essential for moving your business forward. We’ll be starting off with an overview of two powerhouse brands that are perfect examples of what branding can do. Want to stay up to date when our next branding article goes live? Click below to sign up for email updates.
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