Elements of Branding

Building a brand is like building a house. It all starts with a foundation. Then, it still needs blueprints, lots of research, and tonnes of creativity. Finally, it is an emotional experience your customers have with your company.

Your brand is something that your customers see every day, from customer service to your website down to the exact product or service you are selling. Your brand is the one thing that makes you stand out. It doesn’t matter if other companies sell the same product or service.

How do you create a successful brand?

Brand Elements

To have a successful brand, you need to know about the elements of branding. It could range from refreshing something old or coming up with something entirely new. The most important thing is defining your brand. People need to know why you do it, how you do it, and much more.

Branding is all about you. You are unique. Your values and beliefs differ from the next person trying to create a brand. Here are some of the foundation tips that are crucial to building your brand:

1. Why do you want to do it?

You know that you have to be 100% different than other brands. I can guess there are hundreds of companies offering the same product or service that you do. Did you figure out why you are special? Or why you’re doing the same thing other companies are? It’s your chance to tell your targeted audience. It should be way more than “I want to be rich” people buy into stories, not because you want to make money.

2. Building Connections

Being in it to make money is not good enough for the brand. If that’s the case, you should go work at your job. Customers want to get to know you. They need to know you are human. Look at Coca-Cola. It’s based on friends and family getting together to have a coke. They made customers feel they were friends and family with the brand. That’s precisely what you want with your new brand.

3. Consistency

Your message should be clear from the start. Next, you have to look at the branding strategies that you may use for brand awareness. Finally, you’ll need to decide your brand personality and use that in everything you do- from your website, social media posts, uniforms, and advertising down to the business card.

4. Flexibility

Long ago, you could get away just by putting an ad in the newspaper and word of mouth. But, that mom-and-pop shop that you know about that opened in 1958 most likely had to adjust its flexibility, going into digital marketing now. Now it is absolutely critical that you are digital. Being digital is complicated as it’s changing every single day. Sometimes you’ll need to rebrand or start fresh with your brand to meet the new needs of your target audience. But that’s ok because they need to see that you are a flexible brand that is sensitive to their needs.

5. Competition

You don’t want to start building your brand if you have no idea who you are up against. This is the time for a lot of research so that you can decide you are better than others. Look for what they are missing. Then, add those gaps and your brand values to show unique value to your future customers.

Not only do you need to know your competitors, but you also need to know your customers. So you’ll have to do market research to see exactly what your customer wants and try to merge their needs into your brand.

Defining your brand

Your brand needs some meaning and definition, or it’d just be a logo. First, you need to consider what makes your company unique and successful and decide what values you want customers to see with your company. Building a brand can be a lot of work, like making sure you have the perfect logo, your website up and running, and using tips from customers from your research to define your brand. You’ll also need to learn some elements of branding strategies because, without a solid plan, your brand won’t come to fruition.

No matter what you do, it would be best if you are authentically yourself. Authentic, unique, and something people will remember as much as possible. Staying consistent is important as well. Show why people should buy from you and show customers that you are unique. These things will ensure that you will be one of the most successful brands out there.

Brand Image

Your brand image is everything. Now that you know how to build an image for yourself (or even rebrand). Let’s talk about the elements of a strong brand image:

1. Name

The name is everything. You want it easy to pronounce. It should have meaning to the brand. Ex. Disneyworld.

2. Audience

It would help if you always are trying to boost your brand awareness. The only way to do that is you are targeting the right audience. If you’re trying to sell dog food to reptile customers, it won’t work. This is why you need to find the correct audience, understand them, and figure out their needs and challenges. These will help shape your company’s brand.

3. Logo

Pictures, as they say, are always worth a thousand words. It’s the first thing our brain sees is your brand’s image. Yes, your logo. The world’s most famous brands are recognized by their logo ALONE. Ex. Apple. It should always be recognizable.

4. Brand Values

Every single successful brand stands for something. It could be saving the planet, serving the only farm-to-table food, or making clothes that fit everyone. These kinds of brands always stick with their promises, even years later. They promise to continue to give the same service or product for years to come.

5. Memorable

Consumers make purchasing decisions because of the brand. They don’t have to think about it. These kinds of brands have their basic strategies, such as stellar customer service, their products being of high quality, and, most importantly, authentic marketing messages. For example, one famous mom and pop shop doesn’t have to spend millions to get business. All they have to do is produce a memorable advertisement within their budget, and they probably make a lot more than someone who needs to spend thousands because their message wasn’t authentic.

Final Thoughts on Branding Elements

Now you know what builds a brand. It means that your brand must be consistent with your company and your customers. Everything needs to reflect your brand values, from your product/service to your customer service.

A brand can always evolve with time, but building a solid foundation is the answer to a successful brand that lasts, not just a company that is here today, gone tomorrow, or even next year.