How to Build a Brand for Your Creative Business: What You Need to Know
What is a brand? And, how do you develop a brand for your business? There are a lot of elements that make up a strong brand, but first let’s define what a brand is.
Your brand is how your customers perceive you – what they think about your products, how they feel about them, and you. Your brand is a promise to your customers. It’s not something you can touch or see, but instead is more like your customer’s feeling about your business.
And when we think of well-known brands like Starbuck’s, Apple and Coca-Cola, we know exactly what they do and how it makes you feel. Some people have such a strong connection to a brand that they’ll buy its products, regardless of whether they cost more or perform better than their competitors.
So what makes a brand successful?
Here are some integral elements…
BRAND STRATEGY
Basically this is about how you can differentiate yourself from other similar businesses. By having a strong brand strategy for your business and guide its success – you will stand out. It represents where your brand is headed, and why it’s different from than your competitors.
A brand compass typically has five elements:
Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values and Objectives.
Purpose
Your brand’s purpose is answered by asking yourself, “Besides the need to make money, why are you in business?” Your purpose or your “why” is what drives your business, what you’re passionate about. Maybe you want make the world a more beautiful place with your artwork or want to create lasting memories for others with your photography.
Vision
Your Vision is the goal your brand has. A non-profit food bank may have a vision of “supporting a world without hunger”, Habitat for Humanity has the vision of “A world where everyone has a decent place to live”. Do you have a Vision for your business?
Mission
A Mission statement explains the products and services your business offers and the promise your brand makes to its customers. It answers the questions about what your business does, why it does it, who your business is for, and the value that it brings.
Values
Your brand’s values reflect what your business stands for. It’s usually answered by asking yourself, “What is most important to my customers about my business?”
Objectives
These are the goals you need to reach, such as specific amount of income or growing your business within a certain timeframe.
ENTER YOUR
BRAND IDENTITY DESIGNER
If your brand is a perception or a feeling, then how can you develop it? After deciding on the brand strategy for your business you still need to define your brand and business visually so others can identify it.
This is where your brand identity designer becomes important. Brand identity is what people see, and how people recognize your business and differentiate it from your competitors. It’s made up of all the visual elements of your brand, some of which include:
Business Name
Logo
Fonts
Color palette
Images/graphic elements used
Website
E-commerce store
Packaging and print design
Messaging
A brand identity designer helps define your brand’s story which than will attract your ideal customer. All aspects of your branding need to be consistent, so that you become memorable.
Here are some examples of the most well-known brand identities around. Coca-Cola’s distinctive font, red and white colors and ribbon graphic is instantly recognized, just like Google’s font and choice of blue, red, yellow and green colors. Nike’s Swoosh logo is one of the most well-known logos, just like their “Just Do It” slogan. Apple’s logo, the fruit with a bite removed, is also known worldwide. Just like the simplicity in all their branding. All of these brands evoke feelings… Coke = Classic and Traditional, Nike = Strength and Determination, Apple = Innovative and Cutting Edge. Even sounds, or the shape of a product, can become a part of your brand identity. Think of the Campbell’s Soup, “M’M! M’M! Good!” or the shape of a Coke bottle. Now you don’t need to have a multi-million dollar business to have a brand. Any business can create a brand. The principles are the same and they will work for you as well the big companies.
BRAND ARCHITECTURE: TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
Brand architecture is all of the pieces, name, logo, colors… put together for that brand. A good brand identity designer makes sure that all visual elements are consistent across every platform, whether it’s a logo, website, social media channel, email marketing, or paid advertisement. This architecture reinforces the brand, and attracts customers.
Are you ready to build your brand and attract your ideal customers?
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