How do you create a brand?

Brand identity is how you want your brand to be perceived. It is essential that you consider what you want your brand identity to be. If you don’t know what it is, how can you expect your customers to know? This aspect of a brand encapsulates the beliefs, values, and personality that defines who you are. Consider and establish this from early on; time will further improve and cement your brand identity.

When thinking of your brand identity, identify your mission and your values. What is your reason for this company? What are your goals? What motivates you? How will that affect how you interact with customers and promote your products? When people know your end goal and purpose, it creates a bond of understanding and facilitates support.

Also, be intentional when investing in the visual aspect of your brand identity- your logos, designs, and color palettes. Be intentional, unique, and distinctive when completing this step.

If brand identity addresses how you hope your brand will be perceived, then brand image is how it is actually perceived. It dictates what people expect your brand to deliver and can often be quite difficult to change, especially if there is a negative perception. Brand images are built based on impressions from interactions with your products and services, so invest in quality!

To build and maintain a positive brand image, try establishing a social presence. Social media is a quick, easy, and effective way to connect with the public an establish yourself in the market. It can also allow your brand to connect with consumers on a personal level by consistently engaging with them. Good PR can also go a long way in creating a solid foundation for your brand image. You get to control this message and with today’s network of wire outlets you become your own publisher.

Be sure to create high quality content with visual appeal. Most often, if something looks pretty, unique, or intriguing, people will investigate; after all, they are only a couple clicks away. Make it easy for people to want to engage with your brand and services you promote. By being careful with how you interact with consumers, you can help influence how they perceive you.

This is how customers interact with your business. How you deliver your products and services is critical in how you build your brand. Brand experience is the total sum of a customer’s interaction with all that you do. You want this to be a positive experience for them!

Establish guidelines and consider feedback that they give you; show them that you are genuinely listening to them. The experience that a customer has with your business helps develop a word-of-mouth avenue of advertisement that can further build your brand. Make sure you deliver quality and never underestimate the impact that uniform standards of experience can have.

Have you outlined the process of your customer life cycle? This is a great exercise to really understand all of your customer touchpoints and curate the interactions at each junction.

Differentiation is what sets something apart – what makes it different! Brand differentiation helps to define the unique, individual personality of your brand. Without something that sets you apart – that makes you YOU- the only option for customers is to choose products and services based on price.

You have a beautiful opportunity to establish yourself and your unique identity. You want to make your voice heard over the chorus of other business’ shouting into the market. Determine what sets your business apart and nurture it. Then, be consistent with what sets you apart from the competition. Establish yourself and be sure you are encouraging a cohesive brand personality. Don’t be afraid to swim upstream!

Each time we do a S.W.O.T. analysis with a client - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats - we uncover a new angle or a different perspective leading to progress and improvements. Weaknesses can become strengths and often threats are springboards for growth.

These are four essential parts of creating a strong brand. Good branding requires brand identity, image, experience, and differentiation. They each contribute to building a name for yourself that sets you apart and defines who you are, as well as who you want to be. Pour into these aspects so you can facilitate brand trust, loyalty and awareness.