Get this: more than half of online shopping will be done on mobile devices like cell phones and tablets by 2021. How does this apply to you? It’s simple – making your brand more mobile-friendly is the key to making more sales.

Are you looking for ways to build your company’s brand but aren’t sure where to start? Click here for 15 brand development tips everyone should know about.

Your Intro to Brand Identity Design, Building and Brand Development 

Looking for an intro to brand identity building? You’ve come to the right place. Here’s the thing: having a brand that people trust and recognize is one of the most important things that your company could do.

In fact, most customers prefer to reach for familiar products when they’re shopping. So, what can small business owners do to have a slice of the pie? It may feel like you don’t have a chance against big-time businesses with even bigger marketing budgets. 

Despite this fact, you can still find a way for your organization to stand out. And it all starts by building a solid brand that customers can rely on. For those that don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone.

First of all, let’s take a look at what a brand really is. To put it simply, your company’s brand reflects how people view your business.

If you want to be successful, you’re going to want to keep your brand Identity consistent across the following platforms as well: 

·         Office or storefront environment

·         Packaging, print, and signage 

·         Online and website marketing  

·         Publishing content

·         Customer and sales service

But here’s the kicker – as long as you have positive interactions with your customers, you’ll have no problem building up a long-term client base. And we all know that more clients lead to:

·         More sales for your business

·         More work orders for your organization

·         More demand for your services

Think that you’re up to the challenge? Be prepared to wait a while before you see any results. That’s because building a strong reputation can take a really long time.

1. Find Your Target Audience

Guess what? The secret to building your brand is to find your target audience. To do so, you’re going to have to think long and hard about exactly who you want to connect with as customers.

For example, your target audience can include anything from:

·         Professional executive recruiters

·         College-age work-study students

·         People obsessed with technology

·         Working moms with home businesses

Once you’re able to do that, you have to tweak your brand’s message to make sure that it reaches out to the right people. So, it doesn’t hurt to be as specific as possible for your ideal customer.

2. Write a Mission Statement 

Now that you’ve found your target audience, it’s time to write out your brand’s mission statement. For those who are scratching their heads, it’s not actually as hard as it sounds. Here’s the thing: all you have to do is write about what your business gets excited about.

But before you can develop your brand identity to meet your target audience, you have to define your company’s true purpose. After this step, everything else should fall into place, including your brand’s:

·         Tagline

·         Voice

·         Message

·         Personality

In a nutshell, your mission statement should successfully answer the following question: so, what do you do? If not, your brand’s purpose might need a little work.

3. Research Similar Brands

Thinking about your brand development strategy? To be quite honest with you, it helps to research similar brands for inspiration first. But we can’t emphasize this enough: you should never copy exactly what other companies in your field are doing. 

However, it definitely pays to keep an eye on the competition. Make sure that you’re taking a look at what your competitors are doing well, as well as where they’re failing. The point is, you’ve got to find a way to make your brand stand out from the crowd.

Once you figure out how your competition made a name for themselves, you can work on creating a brand Identity that customers will remember and recognize.

4. Highlight Brand Benefits

How much time have you spent highlighting the benefits of your brand? While some people may not like to toot their horns, it’s kind of necessary for small business owners to do it. Otherwise, they might go out of business.

Feeling clueless? Have no fear, we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you. Here are some helpful examples to get you started:

·         More transparent and authentic sales service

·         Reduced costs compared to the competition

·         Speedy turnaround for complicated projects

That being said, you need to consider what sets your business apart from all the other fishes in the sea. To do so, you’ll have to think about the perks and characteristics that make your company special. Of course, you need to give your target audience a reason to buy your stuff over someone else’s too.

5. Make a Tagline and Design a memorable Logo

Having trouble with your brand development process? We highly recommend that you make a tagline and a custom logo design that your customers won’t forget. For most business owners, this is the most exciting part of the whole brand identity building process.

After you create an official design, prepare for your logo to be splashed across everything from your company business card to your professional website. Not to mention your social media profiles on all platforms. 

Not feeling too creative? Join the club. When it comes to your company image, there’s nothing worse than a poor tagline and logo. For the uninspired, connect with a pro design agency for a hand.

On the hunt for custom logo design services? Unless you’re a graphic designer, you should hire an expert with positive online reviews.

6. Discover Your Brand Voice

News flash: discovering your brand voice is one of the most essential steps in your brand development journey. Think about it this way. Your company voice should reflect your business’ industry, audience, and mission. 

On top of that, your brand voice is how you’ll be able to communicate with customers in the future. Want a positive response? Try to make your company voice:

·         Informative

·         Conversational

·         Promotional

·         Technical

·         Authoritative

·         Service-oriented

·         Friendly

·         Professional

Bottom line – your company’s voice should make sense to your target audience so that it can deeply resonate with them.

7. Write an Elevator Pitch

Pro tip: to develop your brand quickly, you’re going to want to write down an awesome elevator pitch. Of course, this will not only tell your customers who your company is, but it’ll also introduce them to your brand voice too.

Here’s the hard part. It should only take a couple of sentences to get to the heart of your company’s purpose, including:

·         Your company’s background

·         Your company’s services

·         Why clients should hire you

Thus, your elevator pitch will give you a chance to build an emotional relationship with your customers too. That means that you should make it as clear, personal, and direct as you can.

8. Make Your Brand Stand Out

Want to make your brand stand out? For starters, you’ve got to offer something different than what everyone else is selling. That’s why you should tailor your brand to meet your target audience’s needs.

For those who have a professional company voice, you might want to help your brand shine by doing the following personality: 

·         Very exclusive

·         Ultra serious

·         Uber established

On the other hand, companies with slightly quirkier brand voices might want to focus on these personality traits: 

·         Super accessible

·         Extremely fun 

·         Groundbreaking wit

Now that you’ve found your voice, it’s brand building time.

9. Build Your Branding Strategies

Not sure how to build your brand strategy? First things first: you need to represent your brand image both in your customer interactions and in your company environment.

In case you didn’t know, you should immediately stamp your logo onto anything you can get your hands on too, including:

·         Business cards

·         Print advertisements

·         Product packaging

But wait – there’s more. Your online image should accurately reflect your brand as well. So, be sure to keep consistent fonts, colors, and photography across all your virtual platforms.

10. Make a Brand Marketing Strategy 

Have a brand marketing strategy yet? If not, we’re here to help. To keep it simple, you have to keep your brand as consistent as you can from the beginning.

Nex step: after you’ve discovered your brand voice, you’ll need to use it for each blog or advertisement that you create. That’s why it’s so smart to set guidelines for your brand image to follow.

Better yet, let your employees know what to expect in terms of brand marketing too. Then, try to avoid redesigning your company image as much as you can. Why is that? 

Because you’ll only end up confusing your customers.

11. Become Your Own Biggest Fan

Want to know a secret? Becoming your own biggest fan is the key to a successful brand development strategy. Of course, you understand your company better than anyone else could. 

By spreading the word about your company, you and your employees are sure to build a buzz about your products and services. Another word of advice is to make sure that your staff is a so-called “culture fit.” That way, they’re guaranteed to be 100% behind your company values, vision, and brand.

12. Look At Your Brand’s Positioning

Curious about our honest opinion? Look at your brand positioning within the minds of your customers. Once you discover what sets you apart, you can write a brand positioning statement that lines up with your target audience’s needs.

It’s easy: write a short positioning statement about how you can make your client’s lives easier. Thinking about what your company strives for will be super helpful for this part of the process as well.

13. Market Your Content

Let’s talk about marketing your content. If you’re an online business owner, then you’re going to have to be extra efficient for your advertising strategy to succeed. By creating content that draws customers in, you’ll have no problem turning potential clients into long-term partners.

Keep in mind that the more visible your brand is, the better. To do so, you’ve got to build a solid reputation with your target audience. But fortunately, marketing to a specific niche should be a breeze once you find the perfect demographic.

14. Create a Professional Site

Not sure how to create a professional site? We got your back. Luckily for you, there are tons of web designers out there that can help you.

Of course, your company website is the number one way to develop your brand. That’s because it’s where your target audience can easily find out:

·         What your business does

·         Who your customers are

·         How your company operates

Get this – future customers are much more likely to hire you if your website sends across the right message as well. Don’t forget to add SEO marketing keywords to your site too. It’s the #1 way to develop your brand to its fullest potential.

15. Establish a Marketing Toolkit

Ever established a marketing toolkit? This can include anything from short, readable sales sheets that talk about your services to a list of industries you’ve served.

Additionally, you can include a quick pitch deck with a company overview as well. Why not take it to the next level by creating an e-brochure? It’s an easy way to impress your clientele.

Need Help With Your Brand Development?

Need help with your brand development strategy? We got your back. Thanks to our handy guide, developing a brand should be stress-free.

Interested in hiring a digital marketing firm? Don’t hesitate to contact us today!