How often have you heard of the word “brand” or “branding”?
Probably a billion times, in all sorts of contexts, and it has always been related to a very peculiar feature of a person, a product or a company.
A brand is not just one specific characteristic that stands out. It is a whole philosophy and identity that generates what we perceive as significant and meaningful, in a world where it all might collapse into one.
Yet, a brand is not a survival kit. It is life itself, unravelling all it encompasses in front of our eyes.
Business- wise, a brand is an ID card. A brand is reputation.
Would you like another interesting fact about your upcoming brand?
You can build it or have a team build it for you!
Yes, you can actually extract all that you believe in and all that makes you stand out… bottle it, and label it.
Truth is, brand building doesn’t happen every day. Such impactful experience takes time and effort to build, while staying close to some core and universal values.
What does a brand encompass?
Bringing it all down to words and strategies, what makes a brand? It is about the invisible strings that your company radiates and through which feeds the bond it establishes with itself and the market.
These “rays” are otherwise named:
• Environment where you operate
• Materialization
• Advertising- online
• Sharing good content
• Sales/ Reach
• Customer service
Through all these factors, companies and businesses manage to initiate and institute an on- going relationship with their customers and make them feel appreciated and rewarded for their trust.
This fruitful relationship will give your company back measurable and tangible results, such as: a consistent increase in revenues, feedback, collaborations, visible presence in the market etc.
Questions to ask yourself when building a brand
Why are you out there in the market?
What makes you different?
What is it that you make easier or better for your customers?
What makes you necessary?
Use these questions as a constant reference to your brand- building process. The whole experience and mission may develop in all directions and even renew and regenerate itself in ways you will not be able to control, which is a great achievement. Still, what holds it all together is the raw and honest attitude towards these questions.
These answers provide your brand with the core values that it needs to stay true to all the way. You may think of them as the stepping stone to your branding strategy. If there is any detail that is slightly off the line, go back to this “flashcard” and tap into your inner identity.
The trinity of brand building
• Brand Strategy
• Brand Identity
• Brand Marketing
The inception of your brand starts with brand strategy. You or a brand building team first need to collect all the data through the previous “flashcard” and then, analyze it, while filtering out a strategy to materialize your brand.
This is Brand Strategy.
Secondly, work on the identity of your products and services. Figure out what it is that makes you irreplaceable and non- disposable in the market. This needs to work long- term, but impulses have to be taken into consideration just as much. They push you forward.
There goes Brand Identity.
Finally, Brand Marketing.
Branding is your first project, so you better start marketing it, digitally and beyond. Show people who you are and be proud of it. Enhance your presence in the market and let your audience know about you.
Branding and rebranding your company or business with a specialized and creative team will take you as far as you allow it.
Are you ready for the challenge?
