How to create your brand to stand out
If you want your business to stand out from the competition, you’ll need a strong brand. Your brand is the way that others perceive you and how they know what to expect from your products and services. But creating a powerful brand isn’t an easy task – it takes time, effort and creativity.
Luckily for entrepreneurs like yourself, we’re here with some tips on how to create your brand and start building your own empire!
What is a cohesive brand?
What does achieving cohesiveness mean in terms of branding?
Cohesiveness is when there’s unity between all aspects of your business (your name, logo, slogans, colours). When all these elements work together as one unit they make consumers feel like they’re getting an authentic product from an authentic company. It also helps people remember your company.
You’ll have the same “look and feel” as well as similar wording across all your marketing.
From business cards, flyers, gift vouchers, adverts, blogs – anywhere a potential client can see or read about your company, the message must be aligned and “match”.
For example, if you own a wellness spa, you won’t use slang or aggressive words in your marketing. Unless maybe it’s a wellness spa specifically for motorcycle clubs! Do you see what we mean?
When your brand flows and is cohesive across all mediums, it builds trust and credibility with audiences and customers, which allows them to feel more comfortable purchasing products or services from your company.
Benefits of creating a cohesive brand
- Charge your worth
Brands that stand out and are good for their customers can charge their true worth. This is because people already know they associate them with quality and products that are trustworthy. Customers will often pay more if they know they’re getting quality.
- Loyal customers come back and advertise via word of mouth
Retaining and getting sales from your existing customers is far easier than convincing strangers to buy from you.
Word of mouth is sometimes the single most powerful tool in marketing and is often called “social proof” when you see reviews online. If you have 10 raving fans of your products and services, you will be bound to pick up new clients because of how they endorse you when they are around their friends or colleagues.
This is also why your brand should always focus on delivering superb customer service.
- Your business brand draws your clients in
Like a magnet to metal, when you create your brand, it will more than likely attract your ideal customers and clients. This is because it is focused on them and what their needs are. As we mention later in the post, you will appeal to your buyer’s persona.
Once you’ve built your brand and its status, it gets better. When people already relate to your brand and know what to expect and get from working with or buying from you, then the sky is the limit! It will allow you to easily introduce new products, launch events, and advertise your brand.
The hard work pays off in the end because now the rest just follows.
- Less time, more money saved
When you initially take the steps to intentionally create your brand, the beginning is always challenging. But it is a long-term investment for the company’s future. An established brand will save time and money. This makes sense because the expense docked out to get the ball rolling in the beginning now has people already following and loyal to the brand.
You also don’t have to spend so much time getting your brand noticed because people now already know what your company is about.
5 tips to create your brand on purpose
The following tips are simple, yet effective ways, to create your brand.
1. What is your buyer’s persona?
By developing your potential customer or buyer’s persona, you’re working on going ahead and creating something that is tailored to them. For example, your product is for start-up families, your customer persona will be that of young or new parents, or a young couple buying their first home together.
With a persona for your customer, you’ll be able to create all content based on them. From the products you’re selling to what you write about on your blog.
2. Develop your brand voice
When you have your target buyer, you’ll be able to craft all the content produced to suit them, specifically. This means using the words they would use to describe their problem.
To learn more about figuring out your brand voice, click here.
3. What are your business values?
What do you as the entrepreneur value for your business? What are the special factors that set you apart from the rest of the competition?
You could develop your business values by noting all the things that hold high meaning to your business. Your way is an important driver in your business, and no, it’s not just about making money.
The reason you do what you do goes deeper than that and it’s why people resonate with a particular brand over another, even if they are selling similar things.
4. Create intentional content
Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue. — Andrew Davis, Author & Keynote Speaker, Monumental Shift
When you first create your brand, and your business is new, there’s a lot of hard work that goes into getting noticed by potential customers. Creating valuable content is one of those things.
But getting the word out means more than just sending a monthly newsletter. It includes being active on social media platforms allowing it to represent the brand. Creating content means you going to talk about your brand at every chance you get to do so because potential customers are everywhere.
If you are interested in using Canva to create your social media posts, then click here.
5. Keep your brand updated
If your company is going through changes no matter if these changes are big or small, keep it relevant. If your logo has changed for some reason, you have to make sure that it’s updated on every platform and network.
The same applies to changes for the website or product details, you have to keep the brand relevant and updated. In this way, your customers and prospects will always be up to date with the latest starring your business brand.
Are you inspired yet?
If you look at top business brands like Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike, Amazon, McDonald’s, Visa, and, Google, all these companies don’t even need an introduction for users and visitors to know who they are.
In fact, Forbes lists Apple as number one worth an incredible 241 billion dollars. That’s not small money. You can check out their list rated by revenue, industry, and value.
This is the power of good branding.
You don’t have to feel intimidated by this, but rather, choose to be inspired. We all start somewhere so use what you’ve got and go for it!
Closing thoughts about how you can create your brand
Creating a brand is an important process that can often take months or even years to complete, but it’s worth the time and effort. It may be tempting to rush into this phase of your company without putting in any work upfront, but if you want customers who are loyal and long-term partners with your business, then taking the time for proper branding will pay off.
Use these tips on how to create an effective brand identity.