Yesterday my post on Facebook focused on how your branding is more than your logo. I want to further elaborate on that. Your branding is the face of your company. You want to attract the right clients for your business. I’m going to share with you a sneak peek into how to I start a branding strategy with my clients. So, lets dive into what exactly you need to have an amazing brand.
- YOU NEED A CLEAR AUDIENCE
Who is your ideal client? Don’t say everyone. It can be scary to narrow down to a niche market, but it is VITAL to your success. Close your eyes, think of your perfect client. It may be a real client, or it may not. You want to get as specific as possible. Ask yourself questions like these:
- What gender are they?
- What kind of industry are they in?
- What is their salary?
- Do they have kids?
- What do they struggle with and how does your product/service help them? (Research to find the answers to this question)
Once you have a clear view of your ideal client and how you can help them, you are on the right path!
- YOU NEED A CLEAR TAGLINE
What do you do and for who or why? This is your tagline What is your mission? It needs to be a sentence. For example, mine is, “I help entrepreneurs and small business owners target their ideal clients with wow-worthy branding and website design.” It includes what I do and for who.
- RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH
This is the big one. You need to really hunker down and research. Research your own competitors. You are not looking to imitate them, as that is a HUGE no-no! But find out what they are doing that’s working? What’s not working for them? Your goal is to stand out from them, offer a different spin. Why will a customer pick you over them? Research their brand details. You want your brand to be different. This must be done before you pick your brand style. You do not want to match your competitors. For your brand to be successful, it needs to be easy to remember and recognize.
- YOU NEED A GREAT FOUNDATION FOR YOUR DESIGN
Again, thinking about your ideal client, what brands and styles resonate with them? If you are a B2B (business to business) company, you need to really dive into what industry they are in. For example, if you mainly work with lawyers, bright/flashy colors aren’t going to cut it. Lots of research here as well.
- DESIGN WITH PURPOSE
Now you have a clear idea of what will appeal to your ideal client, how you are going to help them, and how you are going to stand out from your competitors. You are ready to design with purpose and research more to find your inspiration. I love to look at Pinterest for inspiration. Once you find your inspiration, you are ready to start designing! You need your colors (ideally 3-6), your fonts (2-3), and your logo(s)! This is a great time to have a branding designer to help you through this process and make sure your brand is cohesive.
Now you have an idea on how to start your branding strategy. I would love to help walk you through this process in great detail. Together we can create a brand that is wow-worthy and targets your ideal client!
