If you’re reading this, chances are that you already have a business idea. You also know that branding is important. Your brand identity determines how your customers will perceive your company and product. It’s arguably the most important thing to get right when starting a new business. But how do you go about building yours? The good news is, it’s not as difficult as you might think! Here, are some tips for building your brand identity.
Define your brand
As a startup, your brand identity should be fairly simple. You want your brand to clearly tell your customers who you are and what your company is all about. Create a simple logo and business cards to establish your brand identity. Then, when it comes time to make bigger, more expensive changes to your brand, you’ll already have a good idea what to look for. It’s important to find out as much as you can about what your brand looks like. For example, what colors are the most popular with your target audience? Do they like fonts, graphics, images, etc? Once you have a firm idea of what your brand identity is, it’s time to put it to the test! Define your values, audience, and target audience. Then, use those as foundations to determine your branding.
Understand your customer
Many businesses focus too much on the business itself and don’t focus enough on what the customer needs. Customer satisfaction is crucial for any successful business, so start by asking yourself how you can satisfy your customers. Ask them about their needs and problems, and what problems or inconveniences they have that would be solved by your company. A smart business will listen to what its customers want and build a brand that matches it. Branding from the start It’s easy to say “Don’t do what everyone else is doing”, but if your customers and customers of the future are willing to follow your lead, they will. You need to be savvy with social media marketing if you’re going to stand out from the competition and set yourself apart from the competition.
Create a memorable brand name
Just like your company name, your brand identity needs to be memorable. It should be something that’s easy to remember and say to customers. It should also be memorable for other people, such as your social media followers and competitors. While picking a name, choose something you’ll never forget. Your brand identity can’t be generic or forgettable. Pick a name that’s both imaginative and unique, especially if you’re planning on branching out and trying to increase your brand awareness. Branding basics Brand Identity is just as important as company name. But it’s a lot more straightforward. Brand identity is about creating a consistent message and a visual brand identity. Think of it like your company’s logo – it will always represent your company in a unique and recognizable way.
Identify your key colors
It can be tempting to come up with a brand identity that’s entirely your own, but chances are you’ll be more successful if you pick something that complements your business’ business colors. You can use what we call a “logo color scheme” to get the best of both worlds. Most brands are using a combination of colors to form their logo color scheme. The key is to create a logo color palette that matches your business color palette. It can be as simple as picking a color palette of black, red, white, and blue. Once you’ve identified your colors, you can start picking out complementary colors to ensure you’re not drastically changing your overall brand’s color.
Use the right fonts
Fonts can make a huge difference when it comes to a company’s branding. There’s a reason why companies like to choose well-known and popular fonts like Times New Roman and Helvetica. When you use fonts that are available to everyone, like this, customers will instantly recognize the brand. They’ll also know which brand it is because it’s so recognizable. Choose colors Colors can make or break a business. The thing is, people can easily spot a logo if it’s colored in a particular way. Therefore, using a color scheme can help create a sense of identity. Think about it: even though your business may be an online business, it’s still going to have some brick-and-mortar presence.
Incorporate consistent visuals
If your branding elements are all over the place, your customers are going to get confused and lose track of what’s relevant and what isn’t. The best way to do this is to design a uniform look and feel. Make sure that each of your marketing materials has a distinct look and feel. This helps create cohesion and makes your company identity stand out more prominently. For example, compare the design for this post on brand identity (on the left) to the marketing materials for the same business (on the right). The identity design is very simple, sleek, and unassuming. On the other hand, the branding materials lack character and are just two colors. Don’t overwhelm your customers with multiple colors and patterns. Instead, choose a handful of eye-catching images and colors.
Make sure your logo is easy to reproduce
First and foremost, the logo is what everyone will be able to understand. If it’s difficult to come up with a logo, chances are you don’t have the right branding. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right one. In the digital age, you can save time by using images of your chosen logo. These are highly marketable and will help with the identification of your brand. They’ll help to make it easier for people to relate to it. Don’t rush the branding process Brand identity isn’t something that should be rushed into. As your business grows, you’ll need to add to your branding. You’ll want to incorporate it into marketing campaigns, social media, packaging, and more. Take your time and choose a logo that’s perfect for your brand. It’s also a good idea to have it custom designed.
