Why You Need to Brand Your Business
When I opened my first business–a design agency–I didn’t think much about my brand. I had a logo of course (I was a designer, after all), but I didn’t think much about what lies beneath that logo until I started getting feedback from clients.
I started hearing the words people used to describe me. They were good words, like “integrity” and “upscale”, but they were terms not found anywhere on my website or in my marketing materials. These were other people’s words. This taught me an important lesson about brands: your brand exists, whether you realize it or not.
It lives inside the minds of customers and it takes time to build, often even years or decades. But customers are loyal to brands and they hold power.
Don’t let someone else create your brand for you.
Everyone you do business with makes a judgment about you, good or bad. If you’re in business as a solopreneur, it’s likely based on your own personality and your quality of work.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, defines your brand as “what other people say about you when you’re not in the room”. It’s how you make people feel. It’s what your company stands for: your values, the quality of your product, and the customer experience.
Without a clearly defined brand, everyone (customers and staff) will define your brand for you–and differently than you probably would yourself.
When developing a new brand (or a rebrand), you should start at the center of the diagram below and work your way out. Begin with your core purpose, then move outwards to your promise, personality, to make your brand cohesive. The decisions you make at the core of your company should manifest themselves in the tangible touchpoints that people encounter when they do business with you–your platforms. Together they create your brand.
The 4 Components of a Strong Brand
1. Your Purpose
Your core business values, driven by your business’ vision and mission statements, are the heart of your brand. It’s why you do what you do. 71% of consumers like to buy from companies aligned with their values1 so how you represent your brand’s purpose can impact sales in a big way.
2. Your Promise
Your brand holds a promise: Whether you know it or not, every time you make a sale you have implied a promise to the buyer: “I will give you the outcome you want in exchange for the price of the product.” Whether they’re paying to learn a new skill, purchase a smoothie, or have their hair styled, they expect you to meet their expectations. Making sure the promised outcome is achieved will cement your promise in their mind and help mold a positive brand experience.
3. Your Personality
Your brand evokes emotion.
We don’t buy on logic as much as we like to think we do. We justify our purchase with logic, but we buy on emotion. So when a customer makes an emotional connection with your brand, that strengthens the connection they have with you and will help sell your products.
Your brand personality determines your customers.
Your brand is also determined by how you position your company in the competitive landscape. Knowing how your company is different from your competitors will help you separate yourself from the pack and strengthen your brand. McDonald’s and Starbucks both sell coffee, but their different brand personalities attract very different audiences.
Your brand has energy.
Your brand puts off a vibe; it might be laid back (like Home Depot) or adventurous (like Jeep). As a founder, your brand’s energy is often is reflective of your own personality. Be aware of your energy and harness it. Then communicate it as part of your brand.
4. Your Platforms
The platforms are the touchpoints of your brand. It’s your logo and website, but also your voicemail message, your staff, the tone of voice you use in your emails, and marketing.
Are you ready to start building your unique brand? We have put together a free workbook and guide to help you! Click here to download our free branding guide and workbook!
1 https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/02/brand-values-alignment.html
