Going Step-by-Step
Sign up for any basic marketing course or read any marketing publication, and you will hear all kinds of talk about corporate branding. There is a reason behind all of that talk! If you want to build a successful business, you will have to start by building a successful brand.
But what exactly is corporate branding?
It is your business’ reputation, or what people think of when they think of you. Your branding and identity go hand-in-hand. Having a successful brand means that your customers trust you – and that they will trust any new products and services that are associated with you.
If you build a brand properly, people will also think of you first whenever they think of your industry or niche. For example, when you think of soda, you probably immediately think of Coca-Cola. That’s successful corporate branding in action!
But you do not have to be a giant company to build a brand. In fact, corporate branding is something that every business can benefit from – big or small.
So, how do you do it?
To establish a successful brand, you need a step-by-step strategy. Before you can do anything else, you will need to:
- Define what you want your brand to beWhat do you want your company to be known for? What kind of “personality” do you want to project? Depending on the products or services you provide, you don’t necessarily have to be formal. You may decide that you want to be known as a witty company or one that thinks outside of the box.
- Understand your target audienceWho exactly are you marketing to? How old are they? What kind of background do they have?Once you figure that out, you need to put yourself in the mind of your target audience. What would you be looking for? What would appeal to you?Until you can relate to your target audience, you cannot build a successful brand.
- Design a logoA professional logo design firm can help you figure out which colors and shapes will best convey the message you are trying to project. For example, if you have decided to build a creative brand, your logo design company may use bright colors and modern-looking fonts to create your logo. After all, that looks a lot more creative than a basic black logo with Times New Roman font!A professional branding firm can help you come up with these answers. However, once you make it through these 3 steps, the work isn’t over! Next, we’ll discuss how important website design is to corporate branding. After all, if you want to be on the cutting edge, you’ll need a website that’s a big part of your overall marketing scheme!
How to build a brand – Part 2
How to build a brand – Part 3
How to build a brand – Part 4