6 Actionable Steps for Creating a Brand That Accurately Represents Your Company

Branding is one of the most vital attributes of a business. Having a strong brand can often be the deciding factor between resonating with your audience and being overlooked for a competitor.

It can be difficult, though, to understand what goes into creating a brand that represents your company accurately (and the proper way to do it).

Not sure where to start? Don't worry, we’ve got you covered.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know.

1. Define Yourself

This may seem overly existential, but it's an important part of the branding process.Before you can create an image of who you are, you need to determine what you want your brand to be. Ask yourself questions about your company's backstory, what type of value you aim to provide to your buyers, your company culture, etc.

A story and goal that buyers identify with can easily result in more revenue and lead generation. After all, there's a reason why Apple products are held in such high esteem compared to most other electronics.

This identity should be something static that never changes at any point in time, and it will serve as the foundation for your company's brand. 

2. Define Your Audience

Before you can move forward with branding your company, you're going to need to take a look at who you're targeting.

Who your audience is will largely dictate how you communicate with them. For example, you wouldn't use complicated jargon when speaking to a younger audience. Similarly, you wouldn't have an overt use of slang when targeting people from an older demographic.

To help create an 'avatar' of your typical client or customer, consider the following information:

• Age

• Gender

• Occupation/education

• Hobbies/interests

• Geographic location and time zone 

• Hobbies/interests

• Major pain points (too busy to landscape, inexperienced with technology, etc.)

Put simply, the more you know about who you're trying to talk to, the better chance you'll be able to resonate with them. Failing to properly speak to your audience can not only result in your message going unheard but could also give off the impression that you're out of touch with their wants and needs.
You could even go as far as to develop a 'persona' for your average buyer. When finished, a fashion brand's buyer persona may look something like this:Lisa is a 25-year-old female college graduate who enjoys thrifting and posting pictures on her fashion Instagram account. She lives in California and does her best to keep up with the latest industry trends.
Her current goal is to consistently post outfits with unique clothing that not many people know about.
As you can tell, it's immediately easier to speak to this type of person now that so much about her is understood.

3. Create a Style Guide

To ensure that the 'rules' of your branding are followed, you'll need to develop something called a style guide to serve as a reference for what is and isn't allowed.

This guide will be all-encompassing when it comes to your company's brand and will often include nuances that you may not have previously considered. These include things like;

• What type of font(s) you use for emails, web copy, etc.

• Your brand's color scheme (you'll often have a primary color palette and a secondary color palette)

• What kind of images your company uses (some brands avoid children and animals, for example)

While creating a style guide can take a significant amount of effort and time, it will lay the framework for all of your business's branding in the future. It will also prevent your employees from making any off-brand mistakes since they'll be able to reference the guide at any time. 

4. Brand Voice (And Tone Vs. Voice)

For many companies, developing an accurate brand voice is one of the most difficult endeavors they encounter. But, the root of this issue starts with failing to properly define your brand's personality. 

In order for your brand to speak to your audience, it's going to have to do so as if it were a person. So, your brand's attributes and characteristics need to shine through your copy.A great exercise to help you get started is called 'This, Not That.'

First, you'll take a few moments to break down how you want your brand to be perceived. Then, you'll think about how you don't want your brand to be perceived.

It should look something like this after a brief brainstorming session:

• We're witty but not sarcastic

• We're headstrong but not aggressive

• We're sentimental but not sappy

After a few rounds of this exercise, you'll easily be able to hone in on how your brand's voice should sound. The better you can define it, the easier it will be to capture the right brand voice.  

Tone Vs. Voice

Although they sound similar (and are), this is an important distinguishment you'll need to make.Your brand's voice, as previously described, is the personality that your brand has. It shouldn't change over time (unless you decide to rebrand in the future). Your brand's tone, however, will vary depending on the subject matter of the message you're sending.

For example, let's assume an athletic apparel company usually has a humorous, casual tone when speaking to its audience. One week, though, it posts content across its social media platforms that aim to raise awareness of sexual assault.

Even though this brand is built upon lighthearted humor, it's acceptable (and expected) for the tone of its message to be far more serious than it normally would be.

To sum things up, your brand's voice is the vibe your company gives off consistently, while the tone is the overall feel of the message. Since your content will generally match your brand voice, the tone should only change when the content you're posting would clash with how your brand normally presents itself.

5. KEEP YOUR LOGO SIMPLE

While often overlooked, logos are powerful branding tools that need just as much attention as other branding aspects. We can take another look at Apple here to see how impactful a simple, well-thought-out logo can be.

Nike is another classic example and is one of the most recognizable logos across the entire country.

But, designing a simple logo can be deceptively difficult. With a limited amount of space and detail to work with, many companies have trouble with coming up with one.

To help get you started, though, you can focus on what you shouldn't do when it comes to logo design. For example, semi-transparent logos and those that incorporate tacky-looking clip art aren't optimal choices when it comes to branding.

While logos will vary heavily from business to business, there are a few factors to keep in mind when it comes to color.

Different colors give off different atmospheres, and you must use one that complements your brand. For example, if your brand is energetic and fun, your logo should make use of reds and yellows.
If you're more sophisticated when it comes to brand voice, blues and greens are the go-to options here.

Keep this seemingly unimportant aspect in mind while you develop your logo to create the best possible representation of your brand.

6. CONSISTENCY IS KEY

One of the core aspects of good branding is consistency in all of the content that you put out. This means your web copy, emails, and even social media posts should all be consistent with your brand voice.

Over time, consistency is what establishes your company's personality, values, and message in the minds of your audience. So, straying too far away from the tenants in your brand's style guide will only hurt the branding you've worked so hard to create.

For example, it's not hard to see how presenting mixed signals to your buyers could result in missed opportunities. People who were interested in the calm, collected vibe your brand originally gave off may not be too pleased with a sarcastic post on social media.

So, regardless of the path that you choose to follow when it comes to branding your company, you must stick to it. 

Creating a Brand Can Seem Difficult

But it doesn't have to be.

With the above information about creating a brand in mind, you'll be well on your way to making one that represents your company in the best way possible.

Want to learn more about how we can help? Feel free to get in touch with us today to see what we can do.