Building your brand from the ground up can be a daunting task because of how much needs to be done, but reevaluating an established brand may be more difficult because of as creatures of habit we get caught in ruts.
So, here is a checklist to begin building or rebuilding your brand. Creating an outline for each step can help you fill the gaps in your branding or uncover inspiration for a new direction.
A Name
This may seem like the most obvious thing your brand needs, but choosing a name sets the whole tone for your business. Choosing a brand name can make you sound old hat, modern, professional or homey. Just make sure it’s something unique to increase brand recognition. Your inspiration can come from different things or areas. Some experts advise that you bounce your brand name idea off people around you to get their feel of it.
A Purpose
Why do people choose your business? Recognize your unique selling proposition, the primary quality that sets your products and services apart, and harness it to create a brand that works in cohesion with it. This is important because it may be your sustaining element at different times of your brand life.
A Story
Every brand should have a story that gives patrons a sense of not only what you do, but also why you do it. This concept has been growing since thought leader, Simon Sinek, gave a TED Talk titled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” By choosing to focus on why your brand has a process, creates a product or provides a service, you build customer relationships based on shared beliefs instead of needs.
Read also: What’s the value of your brand?
A Set of Values
In a similar vein, a core set of values constructs a standard for your employees while creating lasting ties based on shared beliefs with clients. Choose what is important to your business, but be active about it instead of just posting a set of values to your website with strategic not-for-profit giving, pro-bono case work, benefits for your employees and more.
A Language
This should be both visual and verbal. Choose an intentional tone of voice and visual appeal for your business and use it across all mediums available to the public. This will create brand cohesion, but it also provides a more solidified voice for your sales team to utilize.
A Structure
This can refer to an internal structure of your employee base, a client onboarding process or a two-way communication system. But consumers want to see an organized system tailored to your company’s specific needs because it will build brand trust.
A Point of View
Your business has a unique take on what is happening in your industry. Take advantage of it to create a point of view that consumers can get on board with, and extend that message across all forms of communication.
A Price Point
Ultimately, you brand is only working for you if you can place value on it in increased naira and kobo over your competitors. For more information about how to evaluate the value of your brand, read my article on “What is the Value of Your Brand?”
An Experience
A fully-formed brand should leave a lasting impression on everyone that interacts with it. Create an experience for your users so, from the first piece of marketing they interact with, your showroom, store, touchpoints, your staff and up to the last confirmation email leaves one lasting, cohesive impression.
A Sense of Style
Similar to the experience of your brand, your business should also have an easy-to-describe style that pushes all of its marketing innovations. Choose five adjectives that resonate with your business and your target market, and with every tweet, every email, every interaction see how many of the adjectives can describe that contact. If it doesn’t meet at least three, it isn’t meeting your goals.
Last line
If you have each of these things and still aren’t seeing the performance you want, it is likely that your brand isn’t suffering but your communication is. For more information on how to build a successful brand or increase branding performance, don’t hesitate to talk to us at Crest and Reeves today!
