Often, entrepreneurs think of themselves as being at a huge disadvantage when it comes to branding and marketing. After all, the public already knows their competitors. Shouldn’t that make it harder to attract new sales?
In our experience that isn’t always the case. Not only are buyers intrigued by new products and services, but launching a brand-new company means you have a clean branding slate. In other words, there aren’t any negative impressions or old ideas that have to be overcome.
That can give you the opportunity to grow your sales and visibility quickly if you take advantage of the chance. Let’s look at what it takes to brand a new business…
Think of Your Customers and Identity
The heart of your identity isn’t a logo or color scheme; it’s the combination of what your customers want and the image you want to project. If you know whom you want to sell to and the way you want them to think about your business, you already have the most important elements of a great branding effort.
Take as much time as you need to research or brainstorm these two elements of your brand. Much of your future success will be built on your ability to connect the dots between them.
Establish a Set of Visual and Messaging Guides
After you have the two pieces of your brand that involve your target market and differentiators, it’s time to move on to the actual branding ingredients you’ll deploy. That usually means beginning with a visual identity (logo) along with some messaging like taglines and value statements.
The great thing about these sorts of pieces is that they can be used again and again in your various marketing pieces.
Use Your Branding to Build Outreach Campaigns
When you have a philosophy for your brand and a set of visual and written resources you can turn to, it’s easy to create webpages, direct mail pieces, online ads, and other marketing materials. Even better, you can deploy all of these while remaining true to your vision and strategy.
The key point here is to develop and utilize each of these tools consistently and in the correct order. You have to know what you’re trying to do, and why, and then be sure to stay on target with all of your messaging.
Review and Change Your Brand Strategy
No matter how much work you put into your brand it’s never going to be static. Your business will change, as well the market you serve and the preferences of your customers. That’s not a problem so long as you make a point of reviewing your branding guidelines periodically so that any changes or evolutions are made by conscious decision rather than creative drift.
When you look through your marketing campaigns and results with your creative team, take a few minutes to think about how your branding may be changing, or how it needs to change. That way you’ll always be on course to get the kinds of results that matter most to your business or organization.
Let’s Build Your Brand from the Ground Up
At Biondo Creative in Philadelphia, we are the masters of helping new businesses get their sales and marketing efforts up and running quickly. To learn more about how we work – including success stories, case studies, and personalized recommendations – contact us today to schedule a free consultation!