Dominate Your Market: Startup Branding Secrets to Build a Successful Brand

1. HomeServicesAboutCaseStudyBlogsContactUs MarketingBuildingaStrongBrandIdentityforStartups:KeystoSuccess TableofContents BuildingaStrongBrandIdentityforStartups:Keys to Success MarketingJune19,202410Min • DoyouUnderstandBran… • ImportantFactorsThatY… • 1.Theintendedaudie… • 2. Identityofthebrand • 3.Voiceofthebrand • 4. Theidealsandthe… • 5.Styleguide • AttentionPlease! • HowtoBuildSuccessful… • Followthese6StepstoB… • 1.Tapyourtargetmar… • Beforebuildingyourb… • 2.Findastrongbrand… • 3.Gotheextramileto… • 4. Don’tjustscribble;w… • 5.Developastylegui… • 6.Agoodlogowon’t… • 6.SigningOff! RelatedPost Marketingyourbusinessreliesheavilyonbrandbuilding.Ifyoucan’trepresentyourbrandinaway thatpeoplecanconnectwithit,nomatterhowmanyyearsyouhavespentinthatbusiness,nofruitful CrackingtheCustomerCode:YourGuidetotheCustomerJourneyFunnel June20,2024 incomewillcomeyourway.Ifyoucanbrandwell,congratulations—brandingisthekeytosuccess. Butifyoucannot,thendon’tworry,becausethisblogisforeveryonewhowantstoknowthewhyof branding. Whatisbrandtrust,andhowcanweimproveitinthedigitalmarket? June11,2024 DoyouUnderstandBranding? Asanambitiousentrepreneur,you’vealreadytakenthefirststepbyrecognizingtheimportanceof AStep-by-StepGuide:HowtoRunGoogleAdsin2024 May16,2024 brandingforthesuccessofyourstart-up.Butwithsomanyaspectstoconsiderandcountlessdesign elementstochoosefrom,wheredoyoubegin?Let’sfirstunderstandwhatabrandis. TheImpactofAI-GeneratedContentonSEORankings:WhatYouNeedtoKnow May8,2024 Abrandisacreativewaytomarketyourbusiness.Itestablishesaspecificpositioninthemarket andshapesabusiness,product,service,individual,oridea.Itprotectsabusinessfromcompetitorsin thesame industryandestablishesasetofstandardpracticesandguidelinesknownasbrand standards. LearnHowtoIncreaseOrganicTrafficwithPowerfulE-commerceSEO May2,2024 Brandbuildingentailscreatingthebrand’simage,thebrand’sidentityin termsofvisualandaudible perception,andtheintendeddemographicthebrandaimstoreach. ImportantFactors ThatYouMustNotIgnore TheAIRevolution:WillGoogleBard(Gemini)AI Overtake Chatgpt? April24,2024 SubscribeToGetLatestUpdates Email Subscribe Thoughts onbrandingshouldincludeafewimportant things.Wewilltalkabouteachofthese factors separatelyinthissection. Theintended audience Anysortofmarketingisnothingwithoutknowingyourtargetaudience.It’sthefirststepbeforeyoustartyouractualbranding.Understandingyourtargetaudienceaidsinstrategicplanning.Onceyouknowwhoyourcustomersare,itiseasytomouldyourbrandaspertheirdesires. Identityofthebrand Thencomesyourbrandvoice.Theseconditemonthelistrequirescarefulconsideration.Withoutidentity,anythingisjustahollowpipe.Similarly,yourbrandwillholdnothingiftheidentityisnotaligned.Itencompassesyourbusinessname,thevisualelementsthatmakeupyourbrand,suchaslogos,colours,theoverallaestheticonsocialmedia,andusernames.Italsoincludesthebrand’slegacyorhistory,aswellasitspositioningorcompetitiveedgeoverthecompetition. Voiceofthebrand Brandvoiceisslightlydifferentfrombrandidentity.Thisisabouthowyourbrandsounds,orrather,whatitistryingtoconvey.Definingthishelpsthecompanyprovideaconsistentimageandmessagewitheachcustomercontact.Ifyourcustomersexpectyoutobe‘Twitter’styleordirectwithyour messages,then bringthose qualitiesinto yourweb contentand othermediumsas well. Theidealsandthemission Noprojectcanbecompletedwithoutdefinedidealsandaspecificmission.Itgivesyouadirectionthatwillhelpyou setgoals for yourself andmakeapromisetoyour customer.Your brandrepresentsyour ideals.Both arevital whiledevelopingyourbrandsincetheykeepyourdecisionsincheck. Whatever you do,be true to your mission and principles. Styleguide Itisessentialtonotethatthebrandstyleguideisjustonesectionoftheoverallbrandplaybook.Thebrandstyleguideoutlinestheprecisepresentationofyourcompany’sbrandacrossvariousplatformsandchannels.Whataretheacceptableusesforyourlogo,thefontsyouuse,thetoneandvoiceyourbrandemploys,andeventhelookandfeelofyourbrand’scover?Whenyouhireandworkwithagenciestogeneratecontentonyourbehalf,itisahelpfulmap. AttentionPlease! ThemarketinggeniusPhillipKotleroutlinedthiskeythemeinhispublication,“Marketing Management:TheMillenniumEdition,”wherehedescribedthreeimportantpillarsofstrategicmarketingknownasSTP,meaningsegmentation,targeting,andposition.Theimportanceofthesethreeingredientsinmarketingliesinthefactthatthefourmarketingmixfactorsofproduct,price,place(distribution),andpromotionformthebasisofmostmarketingstrategiesforstart-upsoranyorganization. HowtoBuildSuccessfulBrand? Beforewejumpintothestepsofbrandbuilding,answerthefollowingquestions.Itwillhelpyou developyourbrandingstrategyeffectively. Whatdistinguishesyourbusinessfromcompetitors,andwhyshouldcustomersobtaincomparableproductsfromyourorganization? Whichuserswillyour websitetarget,what datacanyou gatheraboutthem,andwhatproblems dotheyencounter? Doesyourbrandpersonalitymatchtheexpectationsofyourtargetmarket? Howwillyourbrandberepresentedvisually,likethelogo,thecolourused,andthetypeoftypographytobeused? Howareyougoingtoensurethatalladvertisementsandpromotionalplatformsareconsistentacross the website,socialmedia accounts,andother platforms? Ifyoucarefullyconsiderthesequestionsanddevelopacomprehensivebrandingstrategy,youcancreateastrongfoundationforyourbusiness’ssuccessandeffectivelycommunicateitsuniquevaluetoyourtargetaudience. • Followthese6StepstoBuildyourBrand • Tapyourtargetmarket.Knowtheinsandouts. • Startbydeterminingthesizeofthemarket.Itcanbecalculatedbydividingsalesbymarketshareandmultiplyingtheresultby100. • Youcanalsousethemarketsizecalculationformula,whichis: • numberoftargetusersxpurchasesexpectedineachperiod=marketsizeorvolume. • Thiswillgiveyouabetterideaofhowbigyourtargetmarketcouldbe.Onceyouaredonewithyourmarketsize,doyourmarketresearch. • Beforebuildingyourbrand: • Searchonlineforyourproductorservicecategoryandstudydirectorindirectcompetitors. • Talktoyourtargetmarketandaskwhatbrandstheycurrentlybuyfrom. • Checkthesocialmediaaccounts/pagesyourtargetaudiencefollows. • Visitonline/physicalstorestoseehowcustomersbrowseandbuy. • Researchindustrytrendsusingpublications,socialmedia,andGoogle Trends. • Whileresearching: • Notethebiggestbrandsandwhattheydowellorpoorly. • Identifyyouruniquesellingproposition(USP)—whatyouofferthatothersdon’t. • Observethecommonhabitsofyourtargetaudience: • Platformstheyusemost • Language/slangtheyuse • Howtheyengagewithbrands • Understandingyourtargetaudience’shabitshelpsdeterminethebestwaystoreachthem. • Findastrongbrandvoiceandpersonality,thenlockitin. • Aclear,authenticbrandvoicethatresonateswithyouraudiencetrulypromotescustomerloyaltyandbrand recognition.Hence,establishadistinctbrandvoicetomakealastingimpressiononbuyers.Itundoubtedlyreflects your brand’sunique personality. • Tipstokeepinmind • Ensurethebrandvoiceisconsistentacrossallcommunications. • Alignyour brand’svoice with yourcompany’s mission andvalues. • Understandyourtargetaudience’slanguageandpreferences. • Conductresearch(search,socialmedia,surveys,etc.)onyouraudience. • Createbuyerpersonasbasedonyourtypicalcustomers. • Develop astyle guidewith brandvoice characteristicsand writingguidelines. • Allowsome flexibility intone for different situations andchannels. • Avoidtrendyslangorlanguagethatmaybecomedatedquickly. • Regularlyreviewand updatethe brand’svoice tostaycurrent. • Gotheextramiletofindasuitablebusinessname. • Peopleoftendon’t investmuchtimeinchoosingtheir businessname.They willsimplycopythenameofawell-knownbrandwithminormodifications.Whilethismighthaveworkedinmanycases,thestatisticsshowotherwise.88percentofconsumerssaythatauthenticityisoneofthemainfactorswhendecidingwhatbrandstheywanttoshopfromandliketosupport.Youcancopysomeone’sbrandname,butwillyoubeabletocreate astorylinewithauniquevoice?People’stendencytocommitmistakeswhenchoosingasuitablebusinessnameisreflectedintheirbusiness’sperformance.Followthebelowgivensuggestionsifyouarestrugglingtoo. • Itshouldn’tbeaseasilydistinguishableasthenameofacompetitor’scompany. • Itisimportantthatonecomesupwithanamethatpeoplecaneasilyspellandpronounce. • Makeyournameweb-friendly. • Bememorable,butnotpeculiar. • Whenchoosinganame,youshoulduseonethatcanbeassociatedwithyourbrand. • Don’tjustscribble;writeaconcretebrandstory. • 86%ofconsumerspreferanauthenticandhonestbrandpersonalityonsocialnetworks.Thissuggeststhathavingagenuinebrandvoiceandstoryisessentialforbuildingtrustandloyaltywithcustomers. • Let’stakeanexample:KFC(KentuckyFriedChicken) • ThemainfocusofKernel’sbrandnarrativeisplacedonthepersonalityofColonelHarlandSanders,arealmanwhocreatedhisrecipeforfriedchickenusingacombinationof11herbsandspices. • PresentingSanders’storyofasuccessfulentrepreneurwhowentfromasmallroadsidechickenrestaurant tothegiantKFCfranchise givesthebrandanauthenticandcredibleimage.Theymainlyfocuson tradition,quality,andauthenticitywhilemarketing,since these aspectshavea strong appealtopotentialconsumersandcreateloyaltytowardtheirbrands. • Develop astyle guidefor yourbrand. • Astyleguideistheultimatebibleforbrandingsinceithelpsmaintainconsistencyinthecommunicationprocessandcontroloverthecreativeplatform.Employingstrategicbrandingandcreatingastrongbrandimagehelpsyourcompanykeepitsdistinctidentity,thuscreatingasenseoffamiliarityforconsumers.Havealookathowitisdone. • Definethebrand’smission,values,namemeaning,tagline,voice/tone,andtargetaudiencepersonas. • Specifyvisualidentityelementslikelogos(primary/secondaryversions),colourpalettes(withhex • codes),approvedtypographyfamilies,photographicstyles,andiconographyguidelines. • Provideclearinstructionsonproperlogousageandexamplesofacceptable/unacceptablelogotreatments. • Includeguidelinesfor designelements likespacing,alignment,andsizingacrossprintand digital • applications. • Createauser-friendlyreferencetoolwitheasyaccessforallcreativeteams,partners,andvendors. • Regularlyreviewandupdatetheguidetoreflectanybrandidentitychangesovertime. • 6.Agoodlogowon’tharmyou;designitwellalongwithotherbrandassets. • 10secondsareenoughforpeopletoformanopinionaboutalogo.Agoodlogoishowpeopleidentifyyourbusiness.Itincreasesbrandawarenessamongthecrowd.Therearenumerousfactorstoconsiderwhendesigningalogo.Beforewegointoitstechnicalities,it’simportantforyoutounderstanditsvalue. • Fact:Studiesshowthatawell-designedlogocanincreaseacompany’srevenuebyupto23%.Thisstatisticunderscoresthevalueofinvestingtimeand • resourcesintocreatingamemorableandeffectivelogo. • Whendesigningalogo,thereare severalfactors toconsider. • Simplicity:Keepingitsimplemakesiteasierforpeopletounderstand.Relativeeaseisneeded. • Keepitwell-definedsocustomerscantellthatyourbusinessexistsjustbylookingatit. • Versatility:Alogoshouldalwaysbeflexible.Itmusthavethecapacitytochange.Sincelogosundergo constant updates,a rigid one could potentially cause issues. • Relevance:Trytobeasrelevantasyoucan.Choosethecolourorfontsthatactuallydefineyour • company.Nothingshouldfeeldisconnected. • Memorability:Themoreyourlogoiscatchy,themoreitwillstayinthecustomers’minds.Don’tmakeittoocomplicated,asitmightgetdifficulttocomprehendandremember. • Uniqueness:Auniquelogosetsyourbrandapartfromalltheotherbrands.Athoughtfulidea • behinditwilladdthatextraflavour.Trythinkingoutsidethebox. SigningOff! Brandingisnotrocketscience.Keepingafewthingsinmindcanhelpyouclimbthesuccessladder reallyquickly.Asyousaw,therearemanyaspectstoit,andfollowingthemcanbebeneficialforboth youandyourcompany.Peoplemustnotforgetthatbrandingisanongoingprocess;itmeanssolidifying thebrand’sidentityinthemindsofyourconsumersandeveryonedirectlyorindirectlyconnectedtoit.Itmeansconsistentlyandhardmarketingyourbusiness.    Services Resourses Marketing Strategy&Insights Services Creative&ContentProduction AboutUs CosmicCampaigns,UniversalImpact:YourBrand'sOdysseyBeginswithStellarMarketing. Media&ChannelActivation CustomerExperience&Personalization CaseStudy ContactUS Measurement&MarketingROI Copyright©2023Neoma.Media|Allrightsreserved.