How To Build A Solid Foundation For Your Brand
Creating a name for your business can be tough, but these tips and tricks can help your brand stand out.
What would McDonald’s be without the golden arches? How many packages would UPS deliver if their trucks were red? Both of these examples are created through brand DNA. While these details may seem small, they are incredibly important for business both online and off. The question is, how do you create a brand identity for your business? Well, we can help!
With thousands of new small businesses appearing on the internet every day, small businesses can feel like small fish in a huge pond. But there are ways to attract attention (and traffic) for your blossoming business. With some brainstorming and a plan, your website can rise through the ranks to become a noteworthy brand. Before long your brand personality will represent itself and the social etiquette you have incorporated into your business. Who knows, your brand could even develop an awesome sense of humor. It’s all up to you!
Below are a few tactics you can employ to help your business identity take shape:
Know Who You Are Talking To
Getting to know your audience can be the most important step in creating a brand identity. If your business specializes in home healthcare, you won’t want to approach your mostly aging audience with rap music. Instead, you would want to adjust your brand strategies to the demographic you are looking to engage.
Understanding what your potential customers think and how they feel about the world is the foundation that you will use to build your identity. By doing so you can harness the ultimate business promoter: word of mouth. Customers who promote your business (for free) is the crème de la crème of startups.
You can get to know your audience through social media, surveying the customers you come into contact with, or by hiring a team to do the work for your. A little bit of homework can go a long way when attempting to make your business more appealing to your customers. You can then create a persona that guarantees that anyone who visits your website will be coming back for more.
Make A Plan
Consistency is crucial when building brand recognition. Create a detailed plan of what is acceptable and what is not. Colors, tone of voice, images, font and so on are all important considerations. Once you have decided on these details, get your team involved and teach them how to promote your brand correctly. Each individual who is knowledgeable about your brand then becomes an asset to your business.
Pick A Cause
Many buyers today are very concerned about social responsibilities. Most will pay more for goods and services that care for their community and their environment. When creating your brand identity it is a good idea to choose a cause that your business can affect in a positive way. Both local and global causes can be candidates for your brand.
Once you have picked an organization you would like to support, ask your customers to help you spread the world. Customers are more likely to discuss businesses that are doing good outside of their own interests. While you are promoting your charitable works, you can also promote your own brand.
Build A Narrative
Human beings are evolutionarily designed to understand stories. Narratives, or cause and effect, are what our brains use to make sense of situations. Take advantage of this by creating a brand story: Where did your business come from? Why did your business evolve into what it is now? What does your business stand for and why?
Knowing and promoting your brand story is an important part of building a solid foundation for your brand. Be sure that whatever narrative that you tell is completely honest. In the age of information, there are trolls who live to discover half-truths and lies from businesses and organizations.