Top 5 tips to build a strong brand

In the early stages of developing a brand, it can be difficult to create a consistent brand identity. A brand identity includes all the personalized elements that make the brand stand out over competitors. Once companies have a cohesive image, they can become recognizable. It makes it so much easier to attract the desired target audience. Read on to find out how to build a strong brand!

1. Identify your niche.

What makes your brand special? Develop a unique voice that inspires and resonates with people. A mission statement helps with this. By knowing what your goals and values are, it becomes more clear what this niche looks like. To further this development, it is helpful to think of your brand as a person. Think about what your brand’s tone of voice would sound like. Would it be raspy? Soft? Booming? This idea of humanizing a brand isn’t new to Apple. “Apple personified itself in the form of ‘Mac,’” writes Kristin Calabro in her research about consumer relationships. Apple was no longer just a business, it became someone who is cool and hip, the person everyone wants to be. Defining the brand, defines the product.

2. Know your audience.

What every company needs is a buyer persona, or a representative of a buyer demographic that your organization wants to target. You ultimately choose this person even though, at times, it feels like they choose you. Knowing their interests, needs and daily routines may seem tedious, but it is the key to building a trustworthy brand. In order to fully understand the audience, there needs to be thorough research on their demographics and psychographics. One benefit mentioned by Amy Wright on Social Media Today, is that it helps gain accurate customer insights. Knowing your audience elevates the brand’s identity even further.

3. Make it cohesive.

Everything should match across the board without question. This means choosing fonts, color schemes, shapes, logos, etc. Don’t freak out. You’re not married to these choices because there is always the option to rebrand down the line if necessary. However, once the choices are in place, stick with it across all forms of media. 99 Designs provides a great list of options with descriptions of how people see each design element. The esthetic is crucial because it attracts specific groups. Think back to the buyer persona and what their esthetic would be. The ultimate goal is to be recognizable. If someone looks at a logo and identifies the brand immediately, the marketing team is doing something right.

4. Don’t be a people pleaser.

Yes, do your best to please your audience, but you just can’t please everyone. By trying to satisfy every customer’s needs, the brand identity gets pushed to the side. Stand firm in your brand identity and don’t change it to please an audience that might not match your buyer persona. Focus on the specific set of people to grow around instead of wasting time on those who don’t line up with the target audience.

5. Make you brand an entire experience.

In Simon Sinek’s iconic TED Talk, “How great leaders inspire action,” he talks about this idea that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. This could not be more true in branding. If a company doesn’t have a clear “why,” there is nothing drawing people to stick around for the whole experience. Being a brand is not the same as being a business. All a business does is sell. A brand should have substance and value. Why should people choose your brand over another?

Implementing these five things is just the beginning of the branding journey. Fine tuning each of these areas can help launch the process and create a solid foundation. It is a great start to build from the ground up and develop a lasting, trustworthy brand. To get going, check out Social Media Today and 99 Designs!