Brand Development

Brand building is one of the most important activities for any business, whether large or small, retail or B2B.

What Exactly Is a “Brand”?

John Williams, who has 25 years of advertising experience and is the founder and president of LogoYes.com—the world’s first do-it-yourself logo design website—believes that understanding the importance of branding will help you successfully build your own company’s brand.

Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customers. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services and distinguishes you from your competitors. Your brand stems from the answers to three questions: Who are you? Who do you want to become? And how do people perceive you?

Are you an innovative business willing to challenge conventions in your industry? Or are you experienced and dependable? Do your products offer premium quality at a premium price, or high value at a lower price? You cannot be both, nor can you offer everything to everyone. Your identity should reflect what your target customers want and need from you.

Your logo is the foundation of your brand. Your website, packaging and promotional materials should all incorporate your logo and communicate your brand message.

Brand Strategy and Brand Equity

Your brand strategy defines how, what, where, when and to whom you communicate your brand message. Where you advertise is part of that strategy. So are your distribution channels and the way you communicate visually and verbally.

Consistent, strategic branding builds a strong brand with substantial equity. This added value allows you to charge more for your products or services than comparable unbranded alternatives. Coca-Cola is a clear example: its strong brand equity enables it to command a premium over generic soft drinks, and customers are willing to pay that premium.

The added value associated with brand equity often comes from perceived quality or an emotional connection. Nike, for example, associates its products with leading athletes, encouraging customers to transfer their admiration for those athletes to the products themselves. Nike shoes sell for reasons that go beyond functionality alone.

Defining Your Brand

Defining your brand is a journey of self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. At a minimum, it requires you to answer the following questions:

• What is your company’s mission?

• What are the benefits and distinctive features of your products or services?

• What do existing and prospective customers think of your company?

• What qualities do you want customers to associate with your company?

Do your research. Understand the needs, habits and desires of your existing and prospective customers. Do not rely on assumptions about what they think. Find out what they actually think.

Because defining your brand and developing a brand strategy can be complex, consider seeking expert advice from a nonprofit small-business advisory organization or a small-business development centre.

Once you have defined your brand, how do you introduce it to the world? Here are some simple, time-tested tips:

• Create a great logo: Use it everywhere.

• Define your brand messaging: What key messages do you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should understand what your brand stands for.

• Integrate your brand into every aspect of your business: This includes how you answer the phone, how you and your sales team dress when meeting customers, your email signatures and everything else.

• Develop a company voice that reflects your brand: Express this voice in your written communications and reinforce it through the visuals used across all online and offline materials. Is your brand friendly and approachable? Is it elegant and sophisticated? Develop a tagline—a short, memorable phrase that captures the essence of your company or product. Make it meaningful, concise and easy to remember.

• Design templates and establish brand standards for your marketing materials: Use consistent colours, logo placement and an overall look and feel. Your materials do not need to be elaborate, but they do need to be consistent.

• Stay true to your brand: Customers will not return or recommend your business if you fail to deliver on your brand’s promises.

• Be consistent: This principle applies to everything above and is the most important point of all. Without consistency, your brand-building efforts will fail.