Lightning speed!

A tenth of a second, to be exact!

That’s how fast people judge character.

Your brand is no different. And without an effective branding strategy, you may be misleading customers. Others will scroll on by.

Don’t confuse branding with marketing. Marketing is tactical, consisting of the actions needed to convey your message to the world.

Branding is what ensures consistency across all marketing channels. Understanding it is less concrete.

This article will share the essentials of brand development in a simple, yet powerful format, but first…

What Is a Brand?

Even non-entrepreneurs throw around buzzwords like “personal brand” these days.

So what is it?

When designing a personal brand, experts say to ask yourself what people say about you when you’re not in the room.

That’s your brand.

The same applies to a company.

Your brand is the immediate impression your company makes on customers. It’s the experience they expect to have when they do business with you.

Designing Your Branding Strategy

You’ve created a great product or service, but if you don’t have a good branding strategy, it’s like building a beautiful castle surrounded by a moat without a bridge.

Branding is the bridge!

There are several items you need to consider when designing your brand.

To make it easier, we’ve created three main areas to consider when developing your branding strategy.

Know Yourself

Who are your customers and what you do want them to experience?

What are your values, mission, and vision? 

Who are your competitors?

What makes your company unique? 

These questions serve as starting points for creating your brand. Don’t rush through the process. This is the foundation for everything that comes after it.

Find Your Voice

Once you know who you are, you need to define your voice.

Think of your company as a person.

You know who this person is on the inside, but how does this person speak and behave?

Are there keywords, phrases, and stories this person likes to tell?

What about tone?

Is the voice casual and fun, formal and serious? Nerdy? Witty?

Your website’s copy, social media content, newsletters, ads, videos, and any other marketing materials you produce should all have the same voice. Otherwise, it creates confusion about who you are.

For example, if your blogs are witty and playful, but your website copy is serious, your message will be unclear. 

Show Yourself

When you are clear on who you are as a company and have a definite voice, you need to make sure your visual presence reflects both of those things.

Logo

When you think of the word “brand,” you probably associate it with the word “logo.”

Because it’s on your website, business cards, and other promotional materials, your logo is the most visible part of your brand identity.

Think of your logo as the image that will tell customers who you are, what makes your company special, and why they should get excited about you. 

Typography

This includes things like font choice for your logo and tagline. The words should be easy to read and appealing to the eye.

Branding Templates

To maintain brand consistency, consider creating branding templates to use with marketing content such as social media posts and presentations.  

You can either have a graphic designer create one or you can use a design program like Canva.

Beyond the Basics 

It’s time to work with your team to plan your branding strategy. Regardless of where you are in your branding process, we can help.