Building a consistent brand and standing out from competitors can be challenging if you're a solopreneur or a small team of two. It can feel overwhelming to create a brand that elevates your business to the next level.
If you're reading this, you probably understand that branding is one of the most important investments you can make in your business. As Jeff Bezos says:
A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.
Although some influencers may tell you that branding doesn't matter if you produce content frequently, that isn't true. Every piece of content you create, what you value, what you're passionate about, what you write about, and who you decide to serve is all part of your brand.
A few benefits of establishing a great brand.
Branding can make your company look more prominent.
When potential clients see a strong, professional brand executed well and consistently, they get the impression that a company is worthy of their business because they feel that the company is competent and knows what it's doing. They will give more credibility to businesses that appear to be on top of their game.
Have you ever seen any episodes of Shark Tank? I'm a huge fan. The Sharks really care about the offer. They care about whether the packaging will jump off the shelves. They're very attentive to whether the contestant operates differently from its counterparts. They care about the contestant's strategy to ensure their investment is worthwhile. They care whether they've positioned their business that hits a little different than their competitors.
And the same goes for your potential customers.
According to a study, 82 percent of investors want to invest in businesses with strong brands.
Maybe you’re not looking for investors, but think about your potential customers…Have you created a business they would want to invest in? Would they want to buy your service or product?
And what about collaborating with big companies or influencers? Can they tell whether you are a legitimate business based on how it looks?
Having a great strategy in place makes you super focused and clear about what you offer the world. Knowing who you are and how you connect with people ultimately determines who does business with you.
Branding builds trust and loyalty.
Great branding helps you establish your messaging and your connection with people. If you're clear about who you are, what you offer, and how you resolve issues, and if you deliver on your guarantees and get results consistently, you'll begin to build trust and loyalty with your customers.
Because your customers now know you're who you say you are, you do what you say you'll do, and you keep showing up in every interaction consistently.
Even if you are the most experienced person in your field, no one will believe it if you don't have a brand that reflects it.
Branding helps you stand out from your competitors.
This is a big one.
One of the biggest struggles I hear with small business owners is that they feel like they're creating a lot of content, and it's falling on deaf ears.
They feel like they can't connect with their ideal customers and can't drum up new business.
They're tired of being unable to find customers, and their business has hit a plateau.
They invest countless dollars on a website that doesn't convert the browsers into paying clients.
The amount of time they spend producing content to attract customers to their business has little to no results.
And they spend thousands of dollars on marketing and still can't get any traction with their business.
It’s frustrating.
One of the ways you can separate your business from the competition is to highlight a unique brand that sets you apart from your competitors and showcases how your business is different.
Why would someone choose your business over your competitor?
Every time you interact with a person, you have the opportunity to make an impact and create an experience that sticks with them.
Branding helps you create your unique story that resonates with people, so they are compelled to choose your business over someone else's. The people that your business connects with will become loyal customers.
And if you build a brand that delivers exceptional customer experience, they'll be back for more and bring their friends with them!
Branding shows commitment and personal pride.
Establishing a unique brand for your business will show that you take pride in what you do.
You're committed to delivering outstanding results for your customers. And your customers will see and feel that in every aspect of your business.
Imagine you sell high-end jewelry. Each product is individually handcrafted. And you use only the best quality materials.
What would your customer think if you claimed you believe in high quality but sent that piece of jewelry in a sandwich bag? You wouldn't be creating an amazing experience for your customers. I'm sure if they're anything like me, they'll wonder whether the piece of jewelry was genuinely made from high-quality materials..
Customers will believe you are more likely to deliver on your promises because a business that invests in its success will underpromise and overdeliver.
There's so much more that a brand can do for your business than just these few things mentioned in this blog (a lot more!), and it's such a critical part of the growth of your business.
I can't wait to dive deeper into talking about them (because I want you to be aware of all the good things it can do if you're feeling stuck in your business).
But hopefully, today's post clarified what branding is and how important it can be to your success.
A 4-Part Branding Roadmap
We like to help entrepreneurs build and develop their brands by breaking the process into 4-parts.
Part 1: Brand Strategy
You know those amazing brands that really know how to connect with their ideal clients, and every piece of content seems consistent? That's all thanks to brand strategy. Starting with strategy is essential to building a cohesive, consistent, and irresistible brand!
Your brand strategy is like a game plan for your business so you can build it for long-term growth.
Click here to get a more in-depth look into the brand strategy process.
3 things to walk away with when it comes to Brand Strategy:
- Understand who you are and how you want your brand to be perceived.
- Understand who your ideal clients are, what they struggle with, and what they desire most.
- Understand your message and communicate it clearly and consistently.
Pro tip: "Understand" is used intentionally rather than "know." There's a huge difference between knowing something and understanding another. Knowing is something a little more static, like facts or data. Understanding is the ability to know how to put those facts and data into a bigger picture.
Part 2: Brand Identity
It's easy to build visuals based on our personal preferences, but alignment in your brand comes when every part does what it's supposed to do. For your colors, fonts, and brand elements, think through your strategy from Part 1 and ensure everything stays consistent.
3 things to walk away with when it comes to Brand Identity:
- Be intentional about the colors you choose, how they make your audience feel, and how to use them.
- Be intentional about the logo creation process and develop a mark that portrays your unique message.
- Be intentional about your brand elements and where you would use them in your branding.
Pro tip: Don't forget about all the strategy work! Being intentional means reflecting on your strategy and how you can create strong visuals that support the heart and message of your brand. Aligning all the little details will help you establish the cohesive and consistent (not to mention awesome looking!) brand you've always wanted.
Part 3: Brand Touchpoints
Start to brainstorm how you will convert prospective clients into loyal customers. Think about each step you want them to take and how you can guide them through your business. Think beyond your visuals and identify where your business and target audience interact.
3 things to walk away with when it comes to Brand Touchpoints:
- Think through the customer journey and take notes on how someone would interact with your business.
- Be creative in how you can enhance your brand experience to set yourself apart from competitors.
- Remember to guide your potential customers to take action and become paying clients.
Pro tip: Be strategic when creating your brand touchpoints. Put yourself in your audience's shoes and think through the whole process from how they would first learn about your business, how you stand out from competitors, and what would inspire them to choose your business over another. Every opportunity for someone to interact with your brand is a touchpoint.
Part 4: Brand Evolution
Once you have the foundations of your brand all set up, it's good to make sure you and your team are creating and delivering assets that align with all the work you've done up to this point. Consistency leads to a cohesive brand on your socials, website, messaging, and experience.
3 things to walk away with when it comes to Brand Evolution:
- Take notes on the needs of your target audience and notice any changes or disconnects with your messaging.
- Be consistent with your visuals and messaging on every platform and channel.
- Be purposeful in creating a brand experience that goes beyond your first collaboration with a client.
Pro tip: Be proactive and set up long-term plans that include actionable steps to make your brand a success! Brands evolve over time, so be aware of what is happening in your industry, learn to adapt intentionally, and be strategic in offers that help grow your business while keeping your vision at the forefront.
Final Thoughts
Maybe you worked through this roadmap and thought, "I'm ready to DIY my brand!" That's great if you're ready to take that step! If you understand the process and have the design skills to execute your strategy, go for it! BUT if you're not exactly sure how to connect everything and want an inside of the branding process to build a brand for your business, grab our free 4-part branding roadmap on how to build a brand.
Until next time,
Happy Branding
