A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Brand

Creating a brand is a must for any business, no matter how big or small. From spreading awareness to generating loyalty, a well-defined brand impacts how customers perceive your business at every step of their purchasing journey. Developing an immediately recognizable brand for your company is no small task, though. It requires taking a long, hard look at what your company stands for and who you're trying to reach. Before diving into creating a brand of your own, you need to understand what a brand is and why it's important.

What Is a Brand?

Many people assume that a brand is nothing more than a business's logo or slogan, but it goes much deeper than that. A well-developed brand also encompasses fonts, colors, messaging, and, perhaps most importantly, voice.

For example, when you hear "McDonald's," you don't only think of the name or even just the food. Chances are good that you also think of the red and yellow color scheme, the iconic arches of their logo, and the phrase "I'm lovin' it." Each of these things is a part of their brand identity and is specifically designed to make McDonald's memorable and instantly recognizable.

When you create a brand of your own, it helps customers develop a connection with your business. The more they identify with your business, the more likely they will make a purchase.

The Steps to Building a Brand

Creating a brand is undoubtedly a lot of work, but you can break it down into several smaller steps to help make it more manageable. After all, creating and then maintaining your brand identity is an ongoing process, not an overnight one.

1. Identify Your Target Audience

The first step in creating a brand is to find out who you're trying to sell to your target audience. No business can appeal to everyone equally, so it doesn't make sense to try. Determining who's most likely to purchase your product or service will help shape every decision you make about your brand's image from here on out. These are the people you want to target with your branding, so understanding how they think and what interests them should be your top priority.

A few different ways of researching your target audience include studying the audience of competitors selling similar services/products, reviewing social media profiles of people in your target group to see what interests them, or even just conducting surveys. Every bit of information you uncover can be vital to creating an effective brand strategy.

2. Establish a Personality

Knowing what your potential customers like can be very useful in developing your brand's personality.

Would your audience prefer heartfelt messaging or witty and sarcastic banter? Maybe they appreciate a no-nonsense approach. Whatever the answer, figuring out your brand's voice and messaging is a crucial step. Try selecting a few different adjectives to describe your business, like "goofy," "simple," or "blunt," and then use those to frame your messaging moving forward.

You should also develop your company's positioning statement. This is a one- or two-sentence expression of your company, what you're selling, who you're selling it to, and what separates you from the competition. This doesn't have to be shared with customers, but it can go a long way in helping you to shape your brand.

3. Select Your Business's Name

A brand is much more than a business name, but that doesn't mean the name isn't important. You want to ensure that whatever you call your business is easily identifiable and can stick in your customers' minds. There are a few different approaches you can take when determining what to call your company:

Blend two words together: PetSmart, FedEx
Use an acronym: CVS (Consumer Value Store), NBC (National Broadcasting Company)
Make it suggestive: Android
Invent a word: Google
Be literal: Shoe Dept.
Alter existing words: Froot Loops
Repurpose a term: Amazon

Before settling on a final decision, it's also helpful to check available website domains. The last thing you want is to create all your packaging and marketing materials only to find out that you can't use your company's name as its website.

4. Develop a Slogan

"Just do it."

"Have it your way."

"Taste the rainbow."

Chances are you recognize at least one, if not all, of these slogans. All three of them are catchy, short, and instantly recognizable. These are all goals you should have in mind when crafting a slogan of your own. Unfortunately, this can be a lot more difficult than one would assume. There are, however, a few tricks you can keep in mind when creating your slogan to help it be more effective.

Establish a selling point: Disneyland: "The happiest place on Earth."
Be literal: Dollar Shave Club: "Shave Time. Shave Money."
Rhyme: Nationwide: "Nationwide is on your side."
Embrace customer values: Nike: "Just do it."
Use a metaphor: De Beers: "A diamond is forever."

5. Select a Style

Just as important as how you phrase your name and slogan is how your present them. Choosing brand colors and fonts can go a long way toward making your marketing materials instantly recognizable. However, you don't just want to select your favorite color and call it a day. Selecting the right color scheme for your brand is an important step that you'll want to give some real consideration to.

Studies have shown that certain colors can have different effects on people's emotions, so you'll want to select the ones that elicit the right response from your customers. For instance, white is often associated with calmness, whereas blue creates a feeling of strength and trust. Choosing the right colors depends on how you want your business to be perceived.

However, you'll also want to ensure you aren't choosing the same colors as your competitors. It's important that your brand stands out and is distinctive from those around you in the market.

6. Design a Logo

Designing a logo is one of the most important steps in creating your brand, but it can also be one of the most challenging. A good logo needs to be unique, capture the spirit of your company, and be instantly recognizable, but it also can't be overly complicated. Chances are good that your logo will be used in various ways, and it needs to be recognizable even on a tiny scale, such as for your company's social media profile picture.

To help you choose the perfect logo for your business, here's a look at some of the most common types of logos that businesses use:

Abstract: An entirely new image made up of shapes and colors that become tied to your brand. The Google Chrome logo is an example of an abstract logo.
Emblem: An emblem logo will often combine text and imagery to create a unique design, most commonly in a circular shape. General Electric's GE logo is an example of an emblem logo.
Icon: Icon logos are most commonly visual metaphors for a brand and are simple in design. The Apple logo is an example of an icon logo.
Letter Mark: Letter mark logos use the company's initials to create an iconic image. HBO is one example of a letter mark logo.
Mascot: A mascot logo uses a certain character's image. An example of a mascot logo would be Colonel Sanders for KFC.
Word Mark: A word mark logo takes the name of a brand and turns it into an instantly recognizable image. Google and Facebook, for instance, use wordmark logos.

If you lack faith in your graphic design skills, you can always outsource this part of creating your brand.

7. Implement Your Branding

Once you've developed your brand identity, the last step is to apply it to all facets of your business. Your website, products, packaging, marketing materials, business cards, and social media accounts should all feature your branding. As customers continue to interact with your company and its products, your brand identity will become clearer and more recognizable to them.

However, your branding doesn't stop here. Maintaining your brand is an ongoing process that you should constantly be trying to grow and evolve as your business does.