Ever Wonder How to Build a Successful Brand?

Do you know that building a successful brand is not all about a cool looking logo? Make no mistake about branding: a loved and recognizable brand is the most valuable asset your company can have. Do you know that 59 percent of consumers love to purchase new products from brands that are familiar with them? That is how powerful branding can be.

You already know that your business is competing with big brands that already have huge customers that are loyal to their products. That is why you need to stand out by building a solid brand that will stand the test of time. If you think a cool logo and nice visuals are the only things you need, you are making a big mistake.

Most brands suck and one more frustrating thing is the number of entrepreneurs and businesses executives that are clueless about the real meaning of branding. A lot of people think it’s only about the logo but the logo is just the beginning of your brand’s visual aspect which also includes your website, ad copy, and marketing materials. A brand’s visuals are just half of the whole thing. It is important to know the meaning of a brand so you can know how to build a successful brand.

What is a Brand?

In a simple term, it is how the customers perceive your business. And a successful brand must be consistent in communication and experience across several applications including:

• Website and online advertisement
• Packaging, signage, and print
• Sales and customer service
• Content marketing and social media
• Environment (office or storefront)

Is brand building really that simple? Well, it doesn’t happen overnight; it is a long-term process. So if you are hoping to build your brand overnight, you may just be dreaming. Brand building is a process and with your ongoing effort, you will be able to establish long-term relationships with your target clients. As you establish relationships with your customers, your sales will start to increase as a result of people recommending your products and services to others.

How to Build a Successful Brand

If you are looking to build a successful brand just like the big brands we know today, you need to do the following:

Determine the Right Target Audience for Your Brand

Before you do any other thing, you need to determine your target audience. Failure to determine the right target audience might result in a wrong foundation. The audience is important in business. So if you are targeting the wrong audience, the results will not be encouraging, which is why you should determine the right audience you will be focusing on.

Remember you can’t be everything to everyone, but the right target audience can take your business to your desired level. When you are building your brand, remember the people you are trying to reach and tailor your message and mission to meet their needs. The most important thing here is to figure out the lifestyle and behavior of your target audience like:

• Executive recruiting professionals
• Single moms who work from home
• College students studying abroad
• And much more

When you are specific about your audience, you will be able to understand their needs and create the brand they can understand and relate to.

Create a Mission Statement for Your Brand

What is your company passionate about? You have to craft a clear expression of your company mission statement. After knowing your audience, you need to define the value your business provides. If you don’t provide a clear value, it will be hard for your audience to trust you.

In a simple term, your mission statement clearly states the purpose of the existence of your business. And it should reflect in your message, voice, tagline, logo and personality so that customers can trust you easily.

Research Brands Within Your Niche

One thing that is also important when you are building your brand is to research brands in your niche and make sure you are not copying exactly what big brands in your industry are doing. However, you should be aware of where they fail and what they are doing well.

This will help you differentiate your business from the competition and create a unique brand that can help customers choose you over other brands. When you research your competitors and found what they are doing right or wrong, you will be able to come forward with products that will solve the specific needs of your audience.

You also need to outline the major benefits and qualities your brand offers so you can tailor it to the needs of your audience.

Create a Tagline and Logo for Your Brand

Tagline and logo are an important part of the brand-building because they are the first things your audience will see wherever you advertise your company online. It means they are the identity of your company, so you should be careful when creating them. If you don’t know how to craft a great tagline and logo that your customers can identify with, hire a professional to do it for you. You must never get this wrong.

Your brand logo will appear on everything that has to do with your company – calling card, identity and visual recognition of your promise.

Determine Your Company Culture

When your company has its culture, it will reflect in everything you do and when you are hiring, you should hire with your culture in mind. Don’t hire people who could destroy customer relationships you’ve spent years to cultivate.

Conclusion

One of the most significant things you can do for your existing or new business is to build a successful brand. When you have a solid brand, you can easily transform your business into a successful competitor in your industry.

With branding, your customers will be able to develop a deeper trust for your brand and even help advertise your brand for free.

You may not be able to complete your branding building process alone; seek the help of professionals where possible and you will see how successful your brand becomes.

Here’s an article that I also published to give you some idea on some common branding mistakes that entrepreneurs and small business may not realize they making.

Don’t forget to share this article with others who may find this useful!

Be great,

Ires