Your company’s brand is critical to its commercial success. Branding tells your target audience what your business does and who you are. It also ensures that your company name sticks in their minds and becomes a recognizable entity.
What’s more – branding creates a more level playing field between big businesses, mid-size firms, and startups. By creating a unique and memorable brand, you can elevate your small business and gain an advantage over your competitors.
To get started, take a look at these top tips for creating an individual and unforgettable brand.
Create Visual Assets
Visual assets include things like your company logo, typography, and colors. These should be easy to recognizable and workable in a variety of formats, so you’ll need more than a little creativity to come up with the right designs. Working with a freelance graphic designer can be the easiest way to access the expertise you need. Your brand’s visual assets will be used on letterheads, online and perhaps, on billboards, so it’s well worth getting expert help when it comes to design and construction.
Define Your Personality
Your company’s visual assets should convey your corporate personality as much as possible. To achieve this, you’ll first need to define what your personality is. Are you cutting-edge and contemporary? Trustworthy and reliable? Socially conscious and eco-friendly? Spend time thinking about who and what your company is so that you can convey the right attributes to your target market.
Secure Brand Associations
Associating your business with another brand or organization can enable you to increase your reach. An association acts as an endorsement, so choosing a company or firm that targets the same audience, without being a competitor, can be beneficial. By having your brand associated with another corporate personality, you can fast-track your success and become more well-known in the minds of your target market.
Speak in Your Brand’s Voice
Defining your brand’s voice can be tricky at first. However, the more you define your personality and establish your core values, the easier you’ll find it. Your brand’s voice will be partially dependent on the audience you’re trying to reach. Companies who want to engage with a younger audience may use a more informal tone or even slang, for example. Your brand’s voice will be used in marketing materials, on social media, and in other forms of written correspondence, so it’s vital that it stays consistent.
Adopt Your Brand’s Values
Your brand’s values should inform your decision-making and behaviors, so they’re the essence of your business. Eco-friendly brands may choose to use recyclable materials, for example, while socially conscious brands may adopt a ‘Buy One, Give One’ scheme to benefit people in need.
Creating a Long-Lasting Brand
Although it’s possible to rebrand a business, this can involve a significant amount of work and often risks alienating your existing customer base. By spending time creating a memorable and long-lasting brand from the get-go, you can ensure your brand evolves with your business and stands the test of time.
