Building A Brand
“Branding” has become a popular buzzword in the 21st century. If you have or have thought about having a business, you’ve run across the idea of branding that business. But what is a brand, anyway, and where can you learn how to build a brand?
Branding, at its core, is the relationship between your company and your audience, also known as the outside world.
Everything your customer sees is a part of your brand, whether you’re controlling how they see it or not. From your logo to your colors, to the voice you use on your website or in social media, and even the environment your business operates in.
If you can control how your audience relates to your company, you can make sure everyone is getting what they need out of the relationship. You get an engaged and excited customer, and the customer gets a great experience.
Why Brand Matters More Than Ever
Once upon a time, branding didn’t have to go much farther than your name and your industry. You could put “Johnson’s Plumbing” on a sign and have a successful career. It told people who you were and what you did. As long as you did a good job and got some good word of mouth promotion, your brand was strong enough to survive.
The mundane was enough because no one was looking for or expecting more.
So what’s changed? A few things. The internet, smartphones, and apps have significantly altered how we approach branding, both at the consumer and the provider.
In the last 20 or so years, we’ve seen industries that had never existed take over the marketplace, and in many ways, our lives. Companies like Google and Amazon took things we understood, like knowledge and shopping and changed them so dramatically that it’s hard to imagine not seeing these brands pop-up everywhere.
And whenever they do pop-up, we recognize them, because the logos, platforms, voice, and mission are so ingrained in the modern mind.
Brand Authority
No matter what personality you’re conveying with your brand, make sure you’re letting potential customers know that you’re going to do whatever you do best. Your brand authority should always be a part of your brand personality.
The internet hasn’t only changed what we expect from brands. It’s also made it easier for every potential customer to research lots of different companies that do the same thing you do.
So not only do you need to have and interesting brand, you need your brand to show what unique thing you bring to the table that makes you a better choice for your customer than any other option. What content do you create? What need do you fill that no one else does?
Steps to Build a Brand
Know your purpose: You can’t build a solid brand unless you know what the purpose of your brand is. What gets you up in the morning? What problem are you trying to solve? What are you trying to contribute to your world or community? Your branding should revolve around answering these questions for yourselves and your clients. They are the blueprint for how to build a brand.
Know Your target audience and how your competitors are reaching them: If you don’t know who you’re trying to reach, you won’t be able to build a brand that connects to them. Once you know who you’re reaching, figure out how your competitors are reaching them, and do it better.
Focus on the benefits: Your brand should clearly tell your client how you will solve their problem and fix their pain points. At the end of the day, that’s all your client cares about.
No matter what you do to build a brand, the team and Neon Canvas has the know-how to get you where you want to go.