All brands are businesses, but not all businesses are brands unless they take steps to build a brand identity. The barriers to building a business are surprisingly low, but the opposite is true when building a brand. Now, I know what you might be thinking, isn’t the word ‘brand’ synonymous with the word ‘business’? Not at all, and here’s why. Businesses sell you products and services while brands make you feel a certain way. Businesses can be created overnight while brands are slowly built over time. Businesses are privately owned, brands are shared by a community.
How to build your brand
When building your brand, it’s crucial that you consider everything from your logo, colour scheme and tag line. You also need to come up with a memorable brand name and strong message to go along with this. And this is just the beginning…
Keep in mind that when building your brand identity, it’s never what you say it is, but actually what everyone else says it is. So to begin, you need to know what people think of it first.
Here are a couple of pointers to follow when starting out:
- Always be authentic
- Maintain a unique voice
- Work on building an email list
- Be consistent with a memorable design
- Have a slogan that states your mission and purpose
Define your purpose
Your brand framework must begin with your purpose or your reason why. Defining your purpose is essential because it will give people a reason to like, subscribe, comment and share your content and a reason to believe in and agree with what your brand has to offer.
When people believe in your purpose, they will remain loyal. Research from Zeno Group found that consumers are more likely to purchase from brands with a strong purpose, and added that when a consumer thinks a brand has a strong purpose they are:
- 4 times more likely to purchase from the company
- 6 times more likely to protect the company in the event of a misstep or public criticism
- 4.5 times more likely to champion the company and recommend it to friends and family
- 4.1 times more likely to trust the company
As Simon Sinek says in his book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
State your vision
Having a vision is vital because it helps to steer you where you want to go. When thinking about your vision, it’s best not to force it and base it on what’s trending right now. A better approach is to rather think about your strengths and how they can appropriately tie in. To find out what these are, ask yourself, what are you good at? What are you most knowledgeable about? And, in what way can your skills support your brand’s purpose?
Have a mission
A mission is a description of your brand’s fundamental purpose. It answers the question, “Why does my brand exist?” Having a mission communicates your purpose to employees and the community and is how you will accomplish your vision. To chart your course, think about how to establish your mission and consider all possible angles to approach the goals you set once you have defined your brand’s purpose.
Be present online
Have an online platform that you own, like a blog or website. Then amplify your content on social networks for the purpose of engaging with your audience. You can use social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. You have options, so find out which of these resonates with you and your audience. Most importantly, don’t wait to be perfect. Just start.
Weave your brand into everything you do
Branding should be a large part of everything you do, from interactions with potential clients and business associates to how you treat your employees. If you want to build your brand successfully, it should reflect who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. Are you an innovative trendsetter, or experienced and reliable? Is your product or service high-cost and high-quality, or low-cost and high-value?
Who you are should be somewhat based on who your target customers want and need. Remember to always be authentic because if your brand tries to be something it’s not, it will show.
Be consistent
Why do you trust a brand? Is it because they are dependable? Most likely. And it’s because of this that you know what to expect from them. This could be because they are known for delivering superior customer service every time or because they consistently produce products of a high quality and standard. Whatever the reason, dependability and consistency are key for brands that wish to build trust among their community.
Stick with the game plan
Brands don’t suddenly grow overnight, nor do they happen by accident. Your business might take years to build its brand identity and despite all efforts, still be seen as a business. But when you’re intentional and committed to building your brand’s framework, you will see progress, no matter how long it takes. Eventually, momentum will build and the word will spread. Once that happens, you’ll begin to make the shift from selling to consumers to recruiting brand advocates. This is what will sustain you in the long term.
Brands that are effective are the ones that touch our hearts and deliver indelible, intangible value.
