How Do You Create a Brand, Anyway?
So you have a talent and you want to create a business out of it. That’s a great goal to have, but you cannot just throw this idea together and start making money tomorrow. You need to create a brand – and not just any brand, but one that your audience cannot ignore or deny. It’s easier said than done and entrepreneurs rarely find success overnight or even in the first few months. Building a brand takes hard, focused work. The process can be frustrating and downright confusing, but by knowing a few of the steps needed to create a brand you can begin the process of setting your brand up for success. Below is a quick guide for getting started with building your own brand.
Identify your target audience
Not everyone is going to be interested in what your brand offers – thus, it’s a waste of time to marketing your brand to everyone. It’s important to laser-focus your marketing efforts on groups of people that are actually going to be interested – this is your target audience. One of the best ways to do this is to identify the needs your product/service delivers. For example, if you want to launch a streaming service featuring nothing but kid-friendly music your target audience is going to be parents that want a service they know will be kid-friendly; they have a need, your brand is the solution.
Research your competition – always
When you’ve identified your target audience, you’re likely going to find that you have competitors that are trying to appeal to the audience. That’s a good thing! Identify your competitors by searching for keywords related to your brand (e.g. streaming service for children, kids music, etc. if using the example above) and noting which brands have the most likes, followers, user engagement, etc. This resource has a few great tips for identifying brands and learning about what makes them tick so you can apply them to your own brand. It can be a lot of work, so if you’re ever stumped reach out to us so we can assist you in your research.
Define your brand’s tone and personality
Once you’ve identified your target audience and how similar brands market and communicate with their customers, it’s time for you to define your own tone and personality. Think about words you would like to be associated with your brand and use them as a guide to creating your own original tone and personality. Ask yourself: do these words reflect the type of tone and personality of similarly successful brands? You won’t perfect your tone and personality overnight, but as you go through the early days of marketing keep repeating this exercise to perfect it.
You have the message – now visualize it
Create a logo and style that reflects the tone and personality of your brand. For example, if your brand has a quirky and fun tone you shouldn’t create a logo that’s busy; rather, keep it simple and minimal to ensure it’s easy identifiable. This would also apply to the overall design of everything you publish – from your website to offline marketing material and more; if your tone is fun and full of life use clean, simple lines. More serious? You can get away with making your logo and design a little more complex.
Create a website and jump on social media platforms
In addition to the place where you can sell your products and services, think of your website as a hub with information detailing every little thing about your brand. Your social media channels are a phenomenal tool to use because they allow your brand to act as a beacon that alerts your target audience as to what your brand can provide to them (with social media advertising, this beacon is even brighter). The goal is to entice your audience to actually buy what you’re selling, so convince them to hop on over to your website. You can do this when you…
Start creating content you can share
Your brand’s social media channels mean nothing if you’re not creating regular content that your audience will want to share. Not only is this a great way to showcase what you’re providing, it can also set you up as an authority in your niche. This is a great position to be in, as it means you can be a leading voice in your niche while gaining actual name value; when customers in your niche think of your product, they’ll think of you.
Getting to this point is easier said than done of course, but it should be your goal. Get to this point, and it means your brand isn’t just a brand – it’s a voice. It has value and the customers that need what you provide will know this. It’s all about knowing the value you can provide to consumers as an entrepreneur, putting in the work to make it happen, and aligning your brand as a leader customers can trust. It’s going to take a mountain of hard work and patience, but in the end it’s absolutely worth it.