by It can be hard knowing where to begin in building a strong brand identity for your business. To get started in building your brand and understanding who your brand is, answer these simple questions:
What is my the brand vision?
- Every successful brand has a Steve Jobs at the head, who is the face and the visionary of the company. Get together with that person, or if you are that person, sit down and hash out the details. Who we are? What do we do? Who do we serve? Where are we now? Where do we hope to be in the future?
What does it mean?
- Establishing meaning within your brand really helps to strengthen your audience support. Meaning can simply be your company’s values fleshed out. Your company’s logo, for example should be a symbolic display of your company’s values. If you haven’t already, establish your values, your mission, and vision. These will be the driving force behind why you do what you do.
Is my brand original?
- There will undoubtedly be a million businesses providing the same service as you, but those millions of businesses are not you. What makes you, you? What makes you different? What makes you stand out? Don’t be afraid to stand apart. Being unique is what will draw in your audience.
Is my brand relatable?
- Relatability is extremely important for creating a strong bond between you and your audience. The key in knowing how to relate is knowing your audience. Create a target profile of who your audience is, what kind of life they live, and how your brand directly relates to or influences their lifestyle. This goes into knowing both who you would like to market to, and knowing who is naturally drawn to your product. You never want to force out your natural supporters simply because they aren’t who you wanted them to be. ( Ie. If you have a shoe store that you have designed to draw in young male skaters, but for some reason a bulk of your customers are 70-80 year old women, figure out why that is. What is it about your brand that draws them in). Include them as your target, or tweek your campaign to speak more to your natural audience.
How is my brand different from others?
- Don’t be afraid to do some research into other companies like yours. What works for them? What doesn’t work? How will your be different from theirs? This will help to strengthen your campaign.
Will my brand last?
- Building a lasting brand is directly related to vision. The vision is truly the foundation. If you don’t have a strong vision then your brand won’t be strong or lasting. Build your brand around your vision for the future and you will have built a brand that is timeless. Don’t fall into design trends. Be a leader and be design forward.
Are all aspects of my brand consistent?
- Consistency is important because it helps to build trust with your audience. This doesn’t mean that you can’t change up your look here and there. Staying fresh and current is just as important because it shows that you are growing and evolving. They just need to know that you are the same at the heart of your brand and this comes with consistency in your values, and your messaging, whether print, digital, visual or otherwise.
Am I committed to this vision, and will others be also?
- If you have a strong commitment to the vision others will be too. Your level of commitment comes through in your ability to remain consistent. If you are unsure of your brand vision, your communication will most likely not be consistent, and your audience will begin to lose trust. Brands are leaders, and people follow after certain brands because brands often help people stay grounded and establish their own identities. No one wants to follow after a leader that is all over the place.
For more tips on how to build your brand follow erikablanddesign.com!
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