How to Build an Unforgettable Brand
So you’re an entrepreneur, huh? Let’s fast-track to your ideal future.
Imagine your product is a hit with your target audience the moment you go to market. It’s all anyone can talk about on social media and through word of mouth. Before you know it, your early adopters explode into this cult following, cheering you on for what’s to come next.
Weeks roll by, and your traction remains steady. Not to mention all this buzz comes nearly free of charge, as you’ve barely scraped the top of your marketing budget. Now, you’re just sitting pretty raking in a hefty ROI.
What’s your secret?
You’ve got to hand it to your branding.
But it hardly ever goes this way for businesses looking to shape up their optics. It usually takes a painstaking number of attempts to get it right. Why’s that?
Because inexperienced marketers and early-stage companies often make the mistake of only scratching the surface with their brand and fail to define their purpose.
Let’s unpack this more.
What is branding, and why should you bother?
No matter if you’re selling trendy, all-natural bar soaps or trying to build an e-commerce empire from scratch, all brands need to connect with their prospective customers on an emotional level.
This means uncovering why your brand even exists. What’s in it for you, really?
Building a brand is all about getting people to think about you first when you’re nowhere to be seen – you want your existing and prospective customers to remember you without having to subtly (or not so subtly) remind them.
Taking up space in your customers’ hearts and minds is a humbling place to be, but that said, your reputation can either make or break your business. So here are the winning steps to make sure you land on your customers’ good side and score a positive brand rep.
How to build a purpose-driven brand
- Define your mission and vision
The start of any new business always calls for a little soul searching. Once you nail down your mission and vision, the clearer your decision-making will be in how you arrive at those goals.
Have trouble piecing together the big ideas? Check out these proven formulas for writing your mission and vision statement.
- Identify your core values
Brands are nothing without the values that anchor them. Think of these as an extension of your personality traits.
Are you an innovative brand that reimagines the way people do things?
Does your team work together through good times and bad to meet your customers’ expectations and pull out a win?
Are you the kind of business that checks yourself to make sure you’re delivering on your commitments?
Just like how your values make up who you are as a person, the same goes for your brand.
- Sniff out the competition and determine how you can move in on your target audience
There’s no way around doing your homework. As an entrepreneur, you need to research who you’re up against, crack open their weaknesses, and be ready to offer your solution in a snap.
- Craft the right message
What you say matters, and so does what you don’t. Marketing is complicated like that, so that’s why spending the time to get it right is so important. You want your audience to perk up when they hear or see you. Learn more about stringing together the right words from the folks over at Pardot.
- Get your look and feel right
Yes, brand colours and logos do matter! But it’s much more than that. How you visually present your brand–on your website, app, marketing assets– is one of the first things people notice about you. And if it’s good, it can break them from scrolling. And we all know how challenging that can be.
- Spread the word
Finally, you’ve got to push your messaging forward on all the right channels. There’s no harm and no foul in using paid media advertising or going the organic route. In fact, a combo of both distribution methods can score you some big brand awareness points from different audiences.
The bottom line
Branding is everything. It takes time to develop a reputation you’re proud of, but it’s so worth the initial effort to capture the interests of your ideal customers.
In the end, they’ll be your biggest champions. Now that you have the right strategies at your disposal–all 6 layers of your branding dip–it’s time to create an unforgettable brand experience.
Ready to uplevel your brand’s tone of voice? Drop us an email and chat more about how we can make that happen for you.
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