Fundamentals of Brand Building

July 2, 2017

By laurie

1. The Logo as Visual Voice and Pivotal Point in the Business

The first step of building a brand is getting clarity about your offer. Look at your business goals to determine if this brand will be a one-and-only or will it be linked to other products and services immediately or down the road. Then plot, plan and decide on the relationship between your business and your brand.

2. Research the Market

Who are the key players and how are you differentiated?
What motivates your client’s buying decisions?
Communicating authenticity to one’s core values is key.

3. Market Position

Market positioning refers to how you’ll differentiate your brand in order to determine where your business will be placed in the market. You’ll convince the market to buy from you only if you can convince them in a split second that you’ll provide unique solutions to your problems or needs that aren’t already being addressed.

Be sure your unique selling feature is communicated clearly.
Perform so well that no competitor can compete.
Leave your clients ecstatic with the end result. This will encourage a loyal following and compel your clients to share their experience with friends and family.

4. Brand Definition

Your brand definition describes your offer, why you offer it, how your offering is meaningfully different and better, the unique benefits of your business and the promise(s) you make to all who work with and buy from you. The brand definition can be broken down into the external and the internal face.

The external face is your name, logo, website, ads, packaging, promotions and marketing messages understood by everyone in your network.
The internal face is the substance of what your brand is a stand for. It includes your services, productions, culture, mission, vision and values as well as leadership, management and structure of the larger brand base that lies outside the customer’s view.

5. Brand Description

This is where branding gets exciting. When your brand comes to life with a name and face – the logo – residents, staff and the general public can start to buy into it.

Name – the key that unlocks the brand image in the consumer’s mind. The right name conveys your brand promise and contributes to brand value.
Logo – the mark or symbol and visual voice of your brand and applied to signage, stationery, the website, ads, promotional material, posters, etc.
Tagline – the key phrase that captures the key brand position and promise. It acts to further elaborate the brand essence.

6. The Brand Launch

The brand launch occurs in two phases and in this order:

The Internal Launch: before launching to the public, the brand needs to be introduced to the people behind the business, from stakeholders, managers and employees to key partners.
The External Launch: this is when your brand goes public, revealing your identity and the story behind the making of it.

7. Leverage

Consistency is key for success at this stage. This is where the brand guidebook plays a key role in maintaining clarity in the overall look and feel of the brand. A clear, consistent message provides credibility in the brand with the look, message, tone, colour and font choice throughout all channels.

8. Evaluate + Re-align

Brand realignment. After 5 years of being in business, the business owner understands the fundamentals of their business and realigns or refreshes the brand promise to reflect their place in their market as well as reflect the changing market needs or trends. Brand realignment is also necessary when the brand has outgrown it’s place in the market.It’s important to stay in touch in your ever changing market in order to keep the brand esteem healthy by realigning and refreshing your brand personality to match the market’s evolving needs. Be sure to find a designer that has their finger on the pulse and who has your best interest in mind with how you are represented in the market.

Tags: Brand Message Brand Strategy

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Fundamentals of Brand Building

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