A brand can be a bit of a strenuous buzzword; from which it is occasionally bored even to the point of boredom. Today, however, the brand is the cornerstone of any kind of business that should not be ignored with a shrug. If you want to succeed as a business, you need a strong brand to help you.
What is a brand? What about branding?
The brand is often explained unnecessarily obscure and frosted with jargon, so here comes the thing in such a simplified form that even children will realize it:
Brand = Company reputation
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, the world’s fourth most valuable brand, sums up the definition of the brand quite vividly:
“Your brand is what people talk about you when you’re not there.”
Branding, in turn, means building the desired reputation in practice.
So what? Why should I be interested?
For example, because a strong brand is often willing to pay more. Think, for example, of a fashion company Louis Vuitton – they sell t-shirts for 500 dollars apiece, while an otherwise almost similar product with a slightly different print costs 5 dollars in Walmart.
Even if your goal is not to be Vuitton in your industry, a strong brand also means more customers. It is easier to turn to a well-known and reputable company – what kind of an entrepreneur wouldn’t like that?
Got it. So how do I brand myself? Can I buy it somewhere?
Nope, unfortunately you don’t get the brand from a store, but building it requires long-term work. Like Rome, a brand is not built in a day and not necessarily even in months. However, we’ve listed some branding criteria to help you easily strengthen your brand.
1. Define your brand
If you haven’t already, ask yourself now the classic questions of entrepreneurship: What? To whom? Why?
At Comia Creative, for example, we make SME marketing eye-catching, distinctive and as effortless as possible, yet at a reasonable price. We really want to help people and make the world a better and more beautiful place for everyone – even one website at a time.
When the answers to these questions are found crystal clear in your mind, you will be able to focus on the essentials and building a brand will be much easier.
2. Get eye-catching and business-like marketing materials
Ensivaikutelma yrityksestäsi luodaan usein markkinointimateriaaliesi, kuten verkkosivujesi tai vaikkapa käyntikorttiesi The first impression of your business is often created based on your marketing materials, such as your website or even your business cards. So get your company stylish materials that tell the story of your business and appeal to your target audience.
3. Keep your visual look consistent across all channels
Simply looking good alone is not enough, but your company should look as cohesive as possible, whether it is the interior of some or even a stone foot shop. Using the same colors, fonts, and visual look everywhere will give your business a professional and knowledgeable impression.
I’ve even seen the wildest and most committed entrepreneurs of all use lipstick that matches their brand color. Absolutely admirable dedication!
4. Take care of the “tone of voice” you communicate with
Your speaking style and met message should be in line with your brand.
For example, if a company’s brand involves essentially relaxation, it may not be worthwhile to write in rigid literary language without emoticons or talk to customers on the phone in a monotonous voice.
However, the tone should not be forcibly created by cranking, but should feel natural both to yourself and to the client.
5. Keep your word and show it
As in life anyway, promises are made to be kept. The importance of this is especially emphasized in the corporate world and brand building.
For example, if you claim to be close to people and helpful, it’s not enough to just repeat it out loud. You also need to strictly act accordingly. Really help people with their problems, write free guides, do charity or whatever, so that your helpful attitude is also visible as it is heard.
6. Pay attention to details
It is said that the devil is in the details. This is completely true of brand building as well.
By paying attention to detail, you give a quality picture of whatever you do. After recently shopping for clothes, I noticed a funny little detail in the Product Label of a piece of clothing I bought:
There was a feeling that if these guys invest in something that is insignificant, other things must also be of high quality.
And now I don’t mean that you would necessarily have to start customizing the fasteners on the tags of your products, but you got the point. In the end, the details have a surprisingly great power subconsciously.
When you take over these things, your brand will have a strong foundation and good prospects for success. Building a brand is a hard run and often requires blood, sweat and tears. Fortunately, however, you are not alone with the matter, but here, for example, you will find people who want to help your business thrive. 😉
