As a business owner, one of the most important things you need to do for your business is actually create your own unique brand.
What does this mean you might think? Well it simply means being able to create a unique theme, story and perception about your brand.
Let’s talk about 5 ways you can successfully brand your startup:
Sell your story: One of the greatest mistakes entrepreneurs make is to sell the product before they sell their story. Think about it, no one really knows you yet so why should they actually buy from you? The first point of call is them actually getting to know you and they they can understand you and then trust you before they start channeling their funds towards your product and/or service.
Define your language and image: Branding is not just about choosing a particular color, font or logo. Yes, those also contribute but more importantly, you need to define the image and language you want the brand to have. What this means is that you need to create the perception you want people to have of your business yourself. If you don’t pay close attention to this, you might be shocked the perception have about your company just because you didn’t make them think what you wanted them to. Finally, make sure your visual output is a reflection of your target market and story.
Know your target market: If this list was in order of hierarchy, this would definitely be number 1. Once you cannot identify who you are selling to then you are selling to everybody which can also mean nobody. In order to build a successful brand you need to know who you are focusing on and who might even be interested in your products and / or services.
Build a memorable brand: Please, don’t just go into business but build a brand that is memorable. The first question that should come to your mind here is “What makes an occasion / moment memorable?”. It’s simple, it is usually the experience you had at the place or with the brand as a whole. You need to pay attention to the experience people have when they associate with your brand. What memories are you creating for them? Good, bad or never again kind of memories? Remember word of mouth is still the best channel of marketing so you need to ensure the customers are satisfied.
Maximize your visibility: The goal is to reach your target market through a coordinated message across multiple channels. Target marketing to your user demographics, which sounds obvious, but it’s necessary. Luxury brands don’t sell at discount stores, for example. Attack your social media outlets simultaneously and use them as a way to reinforce your brand; think about “share-ability”. We talked about using visuals to reinforce your brand, and moments captured in photos are some of the easiest moments for customers to share.
Hopefully, this sheds some light on how to best tailor your branding to maximize customer experience and generate passionate customers who can advocate on your behalf, thus creating more traction and growth for your startup.
