How do I build a brand?

This post is for those who think a brand is just a logo.

I am not here to be philosophical about what a brand is. I am here to outline the essential reason why a brand is important and provide you with a list of things to do to successfully build your brand. You’ll learn how to establish a brand personality and promise, identify your target audience and competitors, and put together the pieces to define your brand style.

I’d like you all to entertain me as I share a personal experience. I find that telling a good story helps illustrate the WHY. 

A long time ago, I was an ambitious graphic designer passionate about my craft. I’d sit cross-legged at my desk for hours, listening to music while whipping out website designs like the internet was going out of style. I hadn’t been in the industry long but had already seen my fair share of odd requests. But on this particular day, I was unprepared for what was coming. The day started normally enough. While working at my desk, one of my favorite Directors approached me for a favor. It was an emergency website design that would be quick and easy. Being the helpful and eager designer that I am, of course, I said yes! Ha. Lesson learned the hard way!

Write this down: Be cautious to say yes until you have all the details. 

When I asked for the website brief, there wasn’t one. Ok, no worries! I then asked if there was a current website to reference. Nope, there wasn’t one of those. Alright, not the end of the world. So I asked if there were any visuals to reference, like a brand guide. Nope, none of that. Sigh. Well, can I at least have the logo? Nope, they don’t have a logo. At this moment, my soul started to cry. With a nervous laugh coming out at the same time, I asked, how am I supposed to design a website with no logo, with no brand, and not even a company name? And then he said it. You don't need any of that to build a website.

My literal reaction.

Now, I am sure someone reading this will play devil's advocate and say, “yes, you can.” And technically, you are right. I could have designed a website full of boxes, placeholder text, and images, but what is the value in that? There is no focus, no emotion, and, most importantly, no story for a user to relate to. In the end, the ‘ask’ was for a quick sales pitch, but I fear projects like this, as it devalues and shows a lack of understanding of a brand and how it enhances a digital experience. 

Without a brand, you are at risk of just being the thing that you offer. For example, imagine buying a pair of shoes. You are standing in front of a wall showcasing dozens of shoes. Most are designed to functionally be the same product. But for some reason, you grab the Nike Air Jordans. Why? You could buy the less expensive pair of shoes that do exactly the same thing, but you don’t. This is the power of a brand and the loyalty you can build with your customers.

 

More than ever, people want to know more about a company’s brand. Forbes posted an article talking about why brand loyalty was so important to Gen Z. It states that 68% of Gen Z and millennials agree that the products they buy are a reflection of their personality, values and beliefs. Younger shoppers are also more inclined to view their purchases as key to understanding who they are and what matters to them. Now, more than ever, your brand matters to your audience. 

Now that there is a better understanding of why a brand is important let's get into the HOW. Below I have outlined several steps to take as you build your brand. Each step is a high-level outline. You can go down a research rabbit hole for each, but for this post, I wanted to keep it simple. Now let’s get into it!

Identify your target audience

The first step in creating your brand is understanding your target audience. Do your research and identify the key demographics and behaviors of your customers. Keep this part simple at first! Over time, you can continually expand and define your audience, but this step will give you the frame of mind needed to create your brand. 

Demographics and behavior to identify:

• Location

• Age

• Gender

• Employment

• Income

If you want to get more advanced, Hubspot has a great article that can take you deeper into defining your target audience and market. 

Know your competitors

It is only getting more challenging for businesses to compete, so knowing who you are up against will give you an edge and a better chance to differentiate yourself from the pack. 

Innovative brands will continue to ask these questions about their competitors:

• What do they offer?

• How much do they charge?

• Who are their customers?

• How are they marketing?

By answering these questions, you’ll be able to see opportunities and/or threats your competitors pose and continue to stay ahead of both.

Pick your personality

I find this to be the fun part! Now that you know who you are targeting and who your competitors are, this is where strategy comes into play. It helps shape the public perception of your brand, how it acts, and what it says and looks like. Simply put, a brand personality is a set of characteristics you want your audience to see you as. 

The best way to identify these personality traits is with a personality prism. Below is an example you can fill out to build your brand personality.

Make your brand promise 

Earlier in this post, I noted the value the younger generations place on what brands stand for. Making the right brand promise will reinforce what your brand means in the lives of your audience and how they place you in their minds. Creating a specific brand promise is stating the difference your brand will make in the lives of its customers and promises to deliver on that experience. 

Three key steps to consider when writing your brand promise are: 

• Focus on your audience and outline your commitments to them. 

• Think about your customer touchpoints and what you want to guarantee to them throughout their experience with you. 

• Keep it simple, unique, and inspiring.

For some great examples of brand promises, check out this post by Power Reviews. 

Define your style

This part might be intimidating for those who are not excited about the creative side of developing your brand. Don't worry, I know someone who can help you with this. (wink, wink)

However, it can be a lot of fun if you want to experiment and pull together the look and feel of your brand. With that said, I am not teaching you how to be a designer in this blog post, but I can list all the pieces to consider when building your style. 

Brand guide essentials: 

• Logo

• Colors

• Fonts

• Images

• Illustrations

• Icons

• Mission

• Vision

• Values

• Voice

• Tone

Many companies will take all these elements and build out a lengthy document to print and distribute. Personally, I prefer to create a digital version. In this digital age, it's much easier to update and share. For the do-it-yourselfer, Canva is a great tool to build and bring life to your brand style. And for other ideas and inspiration, Audi and Starbucks are two of my favorite online digital brand guide examples.

I hope you found this outline helpful. You can always go to "the Googles" and learn how to build your brand and further research each step outlined above, but it can get overwhelming. If that is how you feel, consider bringing in some expert help, and know that you can always reach out to me. My promise is to improve the way we interact, understand, and deliver a brand experience.