A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to attend a virtual branding lesson through Creative Mornings. The class itself inspired us to share a few helpful tips to consider if and when your company enters the branding process.
What is Branding?
To start, it would be helpful to define what branding actually is. According to Hubspot, “branding is the process of researching, developing, and applying a distinctive feature or set of features to your organization so that consumers can begin to associate your brand with your products or services.” A brand is much more than just a service or product. It should be almost aspirational and provides your company with an identity.
What is your why?
As you begin developing your branding strategy, ask why? Why do you provide your product or service? In the Creative Mornings branding webinar, guest speaker Vannett Li, Strategy Director at boutique branding agency Bartlett Brands shared a few examples of Inspired Whys. The following whys will help determine the direction of your brand.
- Bold Vision
- Righting Injustice
- Distribution of Status Quo
- Universal Human Motivation
- Aspirational Tribe Traits
- Homage to the Past
- Homage to a Place
How to create a brand
Now that you have a ‘why’, you can start developing your brand. At this stage of the process it is good to start looking into the demographics of your target audience. Market research and developing buyer personas can help with this step. Once that is determined, develop your brand’s mission statement. Circle back to what inspired why your company falls under. This will help determine the overarching goals you want to achieve and deliver to your audience. Next, find your voice and figure out what marketing visual will go best with it. This could potentially change and evolve with your audience, so always be open while staying true to your core brand values.
