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The term ‘brand’ is often misunderstood. Many people think a brand is a logo, and while the visual elements of your brand do play an important role, your brand consists of so much more than that.
Everything you do and everyone you hire is an extension of your brand. When building your brand, it would be best to consider every possible touchpoint your audience has with you. From SEO to understanding your customers, the tips below will inspire you if you want to build a strong brand.
Why do I need a brand?
It’s a competitive world out there. Defining and living your brand and its values will differentiate you from the crowd and attract attention. Everything from your voicemail message to your custom product packaging reflects your brand, so you must make it go.
Defining your brand
Before you even think about logos and color schemes, you need to do your research.
Look hard at your target market and research your potential customers, competitors, suppliers, and influencers. A good market overview will let you set realistic business goals and objectives.
Develop your buyer personas—these are semi-fictional profiles of your ideal customer. They are very detailed and list their interests, preferences, potential barriers to purchase, and pain points. Be as specific as possible. They will allow you to laser-focus your marketing so that you can zero in on your ideal customers rather than trying a scattergun approach.
Define your brand—Once you know your market and who you are targeting, you can begin to formulate your brand based on your values and the needs of your target market.
Key messages: Knowing yourself and your brand will allow you to align your key messages to reflect them.
Getting your brand out there
Each channel you promote your products and services should reflect your newly formed brand. Look at your online, offline, paid, and earned media. It would be best if you looked at the following:
Search—Your position in search engine results can seriously affect your web traffic. You’ll need to work hard (or employ an agency) to rank well for our keywords and search terms.
Social media—Once you’ve identified which social media platforms your target audience uses, you need to learn them and start building your presence on them, too. Each platform is unique and has its specific nuances. Devoting time to this at the outset will reap huge benefits.
Inbound/content-content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build your sales pipeline and thought leadership credentials. Content can include vlogs, blogs, whitepapers, podcasts, and industry reports.
Paid advertising - while building up your SEO, paid advertising on search engines is an excellent way to get high-converting traffic. Ensure your website is set up to engage and convert visitors properly, or you’ll just be wasting your money. Social advertising is also a great way to target your audience based on precise demographics.