In this digital era, building your brand could be very tedious. The Internet has proven to offer very many branding tips for start-ups. Most blogs are always about how one can make their brand better or how one can maintain their brand name once they get it. However, they fail to consider the starters in these businesses that have little knowledge about the operation.
For a starter, they should have it in mind that there are no set rules on how fast or slow one can succeed in branding. It all comes down to an individual. The critical question is; are you decided? If yes, there is nothing that can stop anyone from achieving what they've set their minds to do. However, one should know that social media is the breakthrough for creating a big name. Your social presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media determines how far your brand can grow. The following are some of the basics that any starter ought to familiarize themselves with.
Why write historical novels if you expect children to buy them? Instead, why don't you write something that children can identify with, such as fairy tales? Again, why write books about almost everything trying to target everyone? This is what we call casting a big net with the expectation of having a big catch. However, the fisherman may end up catching little or no fish. What a disappointment!
This is the same case in branding; have a specific target in mind. This is because trying to target all kinds of people may be a futile idea. For a starter, choose on one demographic at a time. Once the brand starts picking, incorporating other targets can happen at this stage. Always try to remain relevant to your audience.
It's always said that one can learn things from other people's experiences. You don't have to go through something first hand for you to learn. For a starter, have some interest in your predecessors' brands. What motivated them to get to their current logos? How do they handle their customers? What's the unique feature of each brand? Getting answers to the questions can be a stepping stone to branding your own name.
However, never make the mistake of being a copycat. The essential thing to do is taking the good qualities from other brands and finding ways of making yours more appealing.
Develop quality and unique content and share to Facebook. That way, you will gain a competitive edge over your rivals.
Always ensure that your brand stands out from the rest. The way to handle this is by finding the unique feature that identifies with you. An example is if one decides to offer lower prices than his/her competitors. This could be termed as unique, hence the more reason to let your customers know.
In this generation, people expect brands that are more cut edging; something that they can identify with. In case your competitors' brands are somehow traditional, or pretentious in a way, this gives the more reason to be real.
In case you are a know-it-all person, this could be the start of your downfall in some way. You may have it all figured out from the very beginning, but seeking professional help is very important. However, if one has done graphic designing, then they can handle branding on their own. There are many ways of getting in touch with professionals including outsourcing the work to a branding agency. Despite this help, always remember that this is your brand, hence the more reason to keep in touch throughout the whole process.
Being real is one of the best ways to connect with people. Don't struggle to appear successful by showing people only the end product. Let them walk with you step by step. When you are constructing a restaurant, post the photos of the empty place, show them the bare walls. When the project is complete, let people know by showing pictures of buddies tasting the first dishes from your restaurant. Don't be the kind that randomly posts photos for the first time of a well-built restaurant. The point is, let people know your struggles. Building a brand should happen right from its foundation.
When you put your mind on giving a particular quality of products or services, don't delve away from this. Along the way, someone may be tempted to change their mode of delivery, choose a cheaper way due to greed or lack of satisfaction. However, remaining consistent keeps your customers. If for example, your restaurant gives quality but rather expensive foods compared to other restaurants, keep doing your thing. Your customers will always come for more, provided the quality is consistent. That uniqueness makes the difference between your brand and others, hence the more reason to remain consistent.
There are many ways of making your brand, as demonstrated above. For any business to succeed, one must put in some extra effort. However, it may not always work out as planned. It is a rough journey with falls and rises. The only way up is to keep on moving despite the numerous setbacks.
