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Branding Basics

Team Kuvio

You know that your company is great and that your product soars above the competition. But how do your customers find that out? Why should they choose you? A major part of this is your branding. Your product is what makes you great, but your branding is what shows people that you are great, therefore you want to make sure you get it right. Today we have compiled an overview of some branding basics that will be helpful if you are building a brand. If your brand is already established, this might spark some new ideas or improvements. 

1. Set your intentions

This is the time to answer the most important question: What do you want your brand to say about you? This needs to be clearly stated at the beginning of your process. Don’t choose your company color palette before considering what those colors need to convey. Write down your intentions and refer back to them throughout the process to keep you on track. 

 

2. Establish your target audience 

It is really important to have a strong idea of who you target audience is before you develop your branding. Your brand will look very different if your primary target is millennials instead of baby boomers or men instead of women. 

3. Do competitor research 

Asses the branding of others in your industry to see what you like and do not like. The goal is not to copy your favorites, it is just to get a rough idea of the industry standard so you can conform to some of the most important norms and find ways to make yourself stand out.

4. Define your differentiation 

After you have taken the time to see what your competitors are doing decide what is going to make you different. You want your differentiation to be significant enough that you stand out customers. There are two aspects to this, what makes your product different and what about your branding will catch customers’ eyes they take the time to learn more about your product.

5. Maintain consistency

Throughout this process, something that you want to keep in mind is consistency. All of your branded materials should have the same look, feel, and tone. You don’t want potential customers to mistake you for two different companies because your packaging is inconsistent with your website. This is especially critical to remember if you are changing your already established brand. Do a careful audit of everything that needs to be updated so that nothing slips through the cracks. 

6. Design the perfect logo 

Your logo should be visually appealing and also really convey the message of your brand. While working on your logo, this is also a great time to think of the colors and fonts you want to associate with your brand. There is a lot of great information online about what messages different color schemes and typefaces convey. Not the creative type? Hire a designer! This is an investment in your company that will pay off for years to come. 

7. Develop your tone of voice 

Your logo and color scheme are only one part of your brand. Your tone is another major part that sends a strong message. Determining this will make it easy to remain consistent no matter which employee is producing content for the company. Will you be formal and authoritative? Laid back and casual? This depends heavily on both the industry you are in and your company ethos.

8. Tweak your tagline

Don’t be fooled, even the simplest of slogans like Nike’s “Just do it,” require a huge amount of research and testing. Your tagline is your one sentence to clearly tell clients who you are and you want to get it right. Brainstorm lots of options and narrow your options from there. Ensure that you focus on the message and not just something that sounds catchy. 

9. Perfect your elevator pitch

Your branding should sum up who you are and what you do, but you want to make sure you don’t overcomplicate your messaging. You should be able to concisely describe your company using your established tone of voice and while focusing on the intentions at the beginning of this process. If you find it is difficult to do this in a few sentences you should see where you can simplify your messaging. You have a short amount of time to catch a potential customer’s attention and your brand should help with this.

We hope these tips help you create an awesome brand and a strong identity. What is your biggest pain point with your branding? Let us know on Twitter, @KuvioCreative.

Kuvio Creative is a web design and development company comprised of a team of remote workers scattered across the globe who come together to innovate and bring our clients’ ideas to life. Get to know us and see our work here

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