6 Awesome Steps to Branding a New Business Like a Boss!

Branding a New Business —it’s not easy to create a unique brand from square one. What should it represent? What should people think of it? Will it strike a chord with my intended audience? These are all questions that you as a new business owner need to answer. 

Whether you just have the seedling of an idea or want to rebrand your existing business, here’s everything you need to know about creating a powerful brand identity. 

Step 1. Research Your Demographic and Competitors:

When building your business brand, having a greater understanding of your demographic persona is crucial in executing a successful start. 

Understanding the current market and who you are competing against can help you reach a greater audience and Branding a New Business. 

There are several different ways to better comprehend your demographic:

1. Search like a consumer and Google questions relevant to your topic or brand to see the top competitors and then analyze them. 
2. Talk to people who know about your brand. See what they are saying and look at online comments and questions. 
3. View social media accounts on competitors and see how they market toward their demographic. Ask yourself what you would do differently. 

When doing your research, pay extra attention to:

1. Your quick-win consumers, those who are easily marketed too
2. Who your top competitors are, those who consumers are loyal to and have a good brand reputation
3. The lingo that is associated with your brand and how your customers use it
4. Keywords that are often connected to your competitors and consumers

Step 2. Choose Your Brand Voice and Mission:

When first starting out, your business should be focused on building consistency. 

Finding your voice with your audience is crucial in creating a brand that stays relevant. When you find your voice, your mission statement will flow together more effectively. 

What are some questions to ask yourself when creating your mission statement? 

Your mission statement should be approximately one to two sentences long to not overwhelm yourself and your audience. It helps you better understand the direction that you are headed with your brand. It can also help create your brand slogan and tagline. 

When writing your mission statement, use simplified language to get your message across. 

For example: 702 Pros offers web design and marketing services by implementing a quick and discreet process. Unlike other marketing agencies, we treat our clients like family. 

Find what you value and what your brand is about, and then capitalize on that by integrating it into your brand’s messaging. By doing this, you make it known right away what you are about and it also keeps you consistent.

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Step 3. Decide on Your Brand Name: 

Naming your brand should be the fun part of this whole process. The name of your brand is important because it highlights the story behind your start. Think about naming your brand like you would a person and how you would want that person to be like.

What is their personality?

How should the brand be perceived?

When you are deciding on your brand name, take into consideration the words you want to be associated with and be careful not to associate your name with other companies. Branding a New Business—You want your brand name to correlate well with your target audience, therefore putting yourself in their shoes will help greatly in determining the perfect title for your business. 

• Name Characteristics 
  • Supports brand mission and viewpoint
  • Unique and distinctive
  • Brings light to the product or service
  • Wording flows easily and looks aesthetically pleasing
  • Multiple meanings
  • Authentic and memorable story
  • Not trademarked
• Research Collection: Four Categorizes 
  1. Results & benefits:
     • Consumer benefits, both psychological and physical results from using brands’ product. Example: Banana Boat
  2. Origin:
     • Where a brand name or slogan originated, particularly historical meanings. Example: Pandora
  3. Psychological links:
     • Concepts that are related to each other integrated into phrases. Example: Kleenex
  4. Key words:
     • Words associated with the service or product. Example: Sharpie
• Brand Name Categories  
  • Explanatory Names:
    • Descriptive names that are usually easy to decipher. Example: Toys R Us
  • Expressive Names:
    • Influential names that usually define the brand mission. Example: Linkedin
  • Creative Names:
    • Names that are invented and have no negative meanings. Example: Geico
  • Double Meaning Names:
    • Names that are derived from a common word or meaning. Example: Jeep
• The Symbolism Behind the Sound
  • Vowel Sounds:
    • Different vowels indicate different emotions. Example: Confusion is “uh” and excitement is “Eee” or “Ooh”
  • How the vowels roll off the tongue:
    • Low-back vowels indicate a more powerful brand. When a brand uses “Oo” sounds with a hard consonant sound, this emphasizes the expansive identity of the product. Example: Hulu
  • Consonants Hold Power:
    • Depending on your brand voice and personality, different constants inflict a variety of emotions. Example: The “H” sound in Hulu is soft and flowy. It connects a warm homey feeling with the brand.
  • The Use of Assonance:
    • Brand names with more than one word should connect in some way by using poetic devices. Example: GrubHub uses a rhyming scheme that sticks inside the consumer’s head, similar to a song verse. It’s a witty yet simple name.

Step 4. Create Your Slogan: 

A slogan is a short and memorable phrase that is used when marketing brands. When creating your brand slogan, be sure to follow these tips in order to present one that not only connects with your audience but also makes sense when standing alone. Well-known slogans are easily recognizable and represent the brand. Focus on what the brand gives you rather than the features.

1. Short and Simple
   • It is recommended to keep your slogan under 10 words. Some examples are: “Got Milk?” and “Save Money. Live Better.”
2. Consistency is Key
   • Keep your slogans consistent with your logos, brand name, and visual identity. An example is: “American runs on Dunkin'”
3. Unique
   • Take into consideration your unique selling preposition and use it to your advantage. Having a unique and consistent slogan helps your audience understand what the brand is offering. An example is: “Red Bull gives you wings” 
4. Don’t Be to Abstract
   • A brand slogan should not be difficult to understand. A good slogan will allow the audience to grasp the company without other descriptions. An example: “A diamond is forever” 
5. Consider the Audience
   • When writing a creative slogan, knowing your audience is crucial. Using a slogan that only makes sense to half of your audience will negatively affect your business.
6. Have Another Set of Eyes
   • Getting a new perspective on your chosen slogan is helpful because it allows a non biased opinion to read it. It’s a good idea to test it out before finalizing your decision, just to make sure that it gives off the impression you are wanting to express.

Step 5. Choose Your Brand Visual Design:

A brand’s visual design has the purpose of creating an emotional connection with the audience. The first impression of the company relies heavily on how aesthetically pleasing the brand’s visual design is laid out. This crucial piece of design also helps to inform consumers about what the brand’s purpose is. It must be consistent and unique to the company.

These 3 visual elements are what a brand needs to create a cohesive identity:

1. Typography
   • Indicates tone of voice and different fonts and styles may affect reader comprehension.
2. Graphics and Imagery
   • Graphics and imagery use basic shapes, icons, illustrations, and logos to signify a brand’s purpose, mission, and voice.
3. Color palettes
   • Specific hues are used in coordination with typographic and graphics to indicate tone and emotion. A select palette of shades are used to help generate a positive response from consumers.

Step 6. Style Your Brand Logo:

A brand logo should be simple and depending on the brand’s product or service, the type of imagery will be chosen based on what represents it but with their own flair.  Start with identifying why you need a logo and how the logo will help the audience better understand the products or services being offered. Think about the brands visual design and incorporate things like:

1. Color schemes
2. Typography
3. Competitors
4. Design styles and voice
   • Contemporary:
     • Assists a brand in reaching a larger audience. This style keeps it simple and avoids using extravagant colors, fonts, and images.
   • Vintage:
     • More of a selective audience and brings forth feelings of nostalgia. This style showcases that history is important to the brand.
   • Modern:
     • This style is minimalistic and communicates a new look. Similar to a classic style but with sleeker features.
   • Custom-made:
     • Shows a brand that focuses on individuality and quality over quantity. It gives off a nostalgic feeling again but with more sophistication.
   • Fun and eccentric:
     • A common style for family-friendly brands that need to connect with a younger demographic. Quirky colors and fonts are used in combination with creative designs and Branding a New Business.
5. The type of logo
   • Wordmarks
   • Lettermarks
   • Pictorial Marks
   • Abstract
   • Mascots
6. Sizes and variations

Exploring and researching different logos will help give you and your team inspiration on how to go about the design. Look at competitors and make pros and cons list describing what could be done better and what works. The goal is to achieve a logo that not only represents your brand but is also memorable to your target market.

Try: Branding a New Business on a budget, Branding a New Business from scratch, Branding a New Business with no experience, Branding a New Business.

Author: mariah