HOW TO BUILD A BRAND FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Many refer a brand to several ideologies like a specific product, having a logo, having an Instagram account where contents of a business can be posted on; and then instead of a Brand, what they end up with is an half-baked business line that don't get far before collapsing.
To start with the basics, what's a Brand? A brand is an overall perception of an entity upon relating with it, both the ones that can be controlled and those that can't. In other words, it includes those feelings, ideas and thoughts people have when they think of or relate with such entity which could be a person, product, service or business.
Well for me, branding is giving an answer to the "who are you?" question and is not limited to the business line alone, there are different kinds of branding; personal, product, corporate branding etc but let me focus on corporate branding which most refer to as Branding a business, though the procedure is similar and applicable across all types of branding.
And why is it so necessary to build a brand for a business?
"Build a brand and not just a business!"
I came across this statement some time back when I was making some research on how to start and grow a business. Profit maximization has been and is still the main goal of every business and so far this is being fulfilled, well all other things are 'minor' but part of those 'minors' aids the longetivity of the business which is very much important as the profit making.
It is very common to see same business owned by different people and at times within a very close range in terms of location; online businesses are not left out as it seems everyone is into the same thing.
Whatever idea that pops into your head, be convinced that it is at play in someone else’s also and therefore brings about the need to be distinguished, to avoid the termination of whatever you birth of such idea.
A brand is the most valuable asset any business can own as it is what enables the business to stand out, helps in the advocacy of products, enforce word-of-mouth referral by customers and much more which aims towards the longetivity of the business.
Well, while all these might not be unfamiliar to you, you could understand the need to build a brand but not know the how to go about it; this is where many have gotten stuck. So how then can you build a brand that achieves the plans you have for your business?
1.Define who your brand is, what it stands for, what problem(s) it would solve and How it is different from the others. This is the blueprint of your brand and it also helps the business present a consistent identity in the market while directing growth in ways beneficial to both the business and customers.
When I hear of Louis Vuitton, what comes to my mind is Fashion and not just that but Classic fashion and when I see its label on a dress, I Know for certain that it must cost a fortune. What message it conveys as a brand is that they are a clothing company that sells quality and elegance, not the same quality you would get in every clothing shops.
The mistake many make is that they think defining a brand involves just having a name and writing a content with "mission" statements but this is not the entire deal to building an inviting brand. Presume your brand as a person, give a description of it, its purpose, focus, attributes and peculiarities, whatever answer you get is what you're looking for here.
2. Defining your target audience, when building a brand, you need to know who your target audience are, the age, gender, where they can be found and how you can connect them to the purpose of your business as well as what your brand can offer them. Well, basically telling your customers what's in it for them when they patronize your business.
3. Know your Competition. As mentioned earlier that no idea is tied to just a person, it is therefore certain that you are likely not the first person venturing into whatever business you're into and as such, you need to "know what is against you to strategize properly".
You need to identify if there are any lapses or shortcoming in your Competitors business that you can take advantage of or any past errors that you can learn from to avoid falling into such pit.
4. Choose your identity; summarily,how you want your brand to be seen as. This includes a name, logo and slogan.
"A rose by any other name would still attract but Nike by any other name would be seen on fewer feet"
The words above shows how important a name is for your brand. You yourself can attest to this by the way you go all length of a market looking for a product with a specific brand name, well thank goodness it has a name, you don't want to imagine that brand having no name.
Furthermore, you need a unique logo. I used the word 'unique' because you wouldn't want to choose a logo that would look like an edited copy of another brand and always require your audience to take a couple of minutes trying to figure and ascertain what brand it belongs to.
You can decide on a particular font, colour, symbol, whatever can be owned by the business.
Also, you do not just choose a logo design, there must be a correlation between the business personality and the logo you use, the general concept and appearance of the logo must be peculiar and have a meaning to the business.
Alongside the logo, it is necessary to get a catchy slogan, a sentence or phrase that encompasses all that the business represent.
The logo and slogan should be developed as the brand undergoes development just as time goes on.
5. Decide your brand message and voice, As economics would say, production is not complete until it gets to the final consumer. The brand voice is how you sell your brand to the target audience, and the content used to enhance the sales is the brand message.
In this 21st century where practically everything is on the internet, a brand not having an online presence is almost same as not existing; It is very crucial for a business to have both an online and an offline presence for the brand voice. This could include the use of handbills, signposts; having a business website, accounts on social media or being able to broadcast on television programs, radio station etc.
6. Be your brand! Yes, I mean YOU! The first and best promoter and marketer of your brand is You. You must ensure that you are a representation and voice for your brand message. Business owners wearing and representing their business logo and symbols on all platforms they own don't do it just for formality sake but to showcase what they do and stand for.
Building a brand is not a day affair, it is a continuous process, while ensuring that the brand is extended to every part of the business and requires a key ingredient necessary for every growth, which is Consistency. Building a brand that would last through time starts with establishing what the consistency would look like and the feeling you would want it to evoke from your audience.
