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Writer's pictureArun Kumar

How to build a brand in 7 steps

Updated: Oct 19

 

Learn how to build your own brand from scratch and create a compelling and memorable brand identity that resonates with your target audience.



Contents

  1. Identify your target audience

  2. Define your brand’s purpose

  3. Develop a personality and brand voice

  4. Choose your business name

  5. Create a Brand Slogan

  6. Design your logo and brand assets

  7. Apply your branding across your business

 
  1. Identify your target audience



You need to first have a target audience in mind. This is the audience you need to focus on when you decide on your brand-building strategies. If you target an audience that is not relevant, it may be more difficult to generate leads and convert followers. 


You may identify your target audience based on:

  • Location

  • Demographics and psychographics (spending habits, hobbies, values)

  • Competitor audience/followers and brand

  • Consumer problem and/or pain point that your brand helps to solve


You should also pay attention to the habits common to your target audience, like the platforms they use most, the language and slang they use, and how they engage with other brands. These insights will help you understand where and how best to reach them. 


  1. Define your brand's purpose


When you’re thinking about how to build a brand, you should also keep your brand’s focus in mind, especially when you’re just starting.


Trying to provide solutions to everyone’s problems will become frustrating, so focus on what you know you do best. The solutions your brand provides are a great addition to the homepage copy on your website, mission statement, and social media platforms. Think of this as an elevator speech to grab consumers’ attention. 


Develop a statement that organically includes:


  • Your brand’s product or service

  • Your target market–name the type of people that may be searching for your product or service

  • What makes your brand unique

  • The problem your brand solves


If you want to know how to brand your business, it’s important to start with a clear idea of what you do, why, and who for. 


  1. Develop a personality and brand voice


Personality is one of the most important aspects of your brand. It’s the easiest way to demonstrate that your company is unique, and it’s what will attract the type of customers you want.


The same voice should echo across brand operations — from web copy and social media profiles, to emails and product pages. Whenever a customer interacts with your brand, they should hear the distinct brand voice and see your personality. The voice you choose will depend largely on your audience, mission statement, and industry. For example, Gen Z audiences often use slang, so you might consider integrating that into your brand voice if you want to connect with that type of audience.


Research what personality your target audience is interested in within your field for inspiration. There are five basic brand personalities you can review to help you conceptualize, define, and develop your unique personality.


  • Excitement

  • Sincerity

  • Ruggedness

  • Competence

  • Sophistication


For example, Dove use "Empowering and Uplifting" as brand voice. It would make sense for a company that sells beauty and self-care products to craft a tone that is encouraging.


Dove is a premier example of a brand that has cultivated personality traits that emphasize responsibility, having linked its name with the greater movement to empower consumers (especially women) and raise awareness of body positivity. You’ve likely seen the billboard and ad campaigns Dove launched with models of all colors and sizes, but supporting it all is a tone of voice that is soothing, inspirational and friendly.


These qualities are easily recognizable in posts the company makes on social media, as well as its website. The way Dove glowingly describes its mission is reinforced by the affirmative language it uses to resonate with readers: “beauty is a source of confidence,” “self-esteem education,” “realize full potential.” The brand promise is made clear with these words.


  1. Choose your business name



Your company’s name is probably one of the first big commitments you’ll make as a business owner. Ideally, you want a brand name that isn’t being used by another company (especially in your industry), has available social media handles, and is a fit based on your brand or products. It should be easy to remember and hard to imitate.


A few approaches to choosing a brand name include the following:

  • Make up a brand new word (e.g., Pepsi).

  • Inspirational figures like Nike — the winged goddess of victory in Greek mythology

  • Reframe a word unrelated to your industry or product (e.g., Apple for computers or Maple for health care).

  • Relevant words or phrases like Mastercard for a brand of credit or debit card

  • Use a suggestive word or metaphor (e.g., Buffer).

  • Describe it literally (e.g., The Shoe Company or Home Depot).

  • Alter a word by changing its spelling, removing letters, adding letters, or using Latin endings (e.g., Tumblr or Activia).

  • Create an acronym from a longer name (e.g., HBO for Home Box Office).

  • Use a portmanteau: Pinterest (pin + interest) or Snapple (snappy + apple).

  • Use your own name (e.g., Arun Kumar or AKRR)


Picking a name for your business requires much more than just creativity and a working knowledge of your target market. Consider state and local requirements, making sure you don't infringe upon the rights of someone else's business name. But how exactly do you check if a name is available for a company in India?


The first step will be determining if the name is registered as a company in India. This can be done by searching the Registrar of Companies database.


Procedure to check Company Name on MCA Website(India)


  1. Create a brand slogan


Once you’ve established your positioning and your brand story, you can use this work to create a snappy slogan for your business. A good slogan is short, catchy, and makes a strong impression. 

A clever slogan can increase brand awareness as customers start to recognize it—even when it’s divorced from your brand.


Here are some ways to approach writing your slogan:

  • Stake your claim, like this example from Death Wish Coffee: “The World’s Strongest Coffee.”

  • Make it a metaphor, just like Red Bull did: “Red Bull gives you wings.” 

  • Speak to your target audience, like this example from Cards Against Humanity: “A party game for horrible people.”

  • Try a catchy rhyme, like this Folgers coffee slogan: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”

  • Establish an aesthetic or taste level, like this example from Aritzia: “Everyday luxury to elevate your world.”

  • Showcase your customers’ attitude – for example, “I’m Lovin’ It” by McDonald’s.


  1. Design your brand assets



Your brand assets will include all the visual decisions you make for your brand. This guide will come in handy when you build your website, design your social media profile pages, and create product packaging.


Once you establish brand assets, it may be helpful to build a brand style guide to inform all levels of your organization on how to appropriately communicate.


List of few key brand assets in general,

  • Logo

  • Color

  • Font

  • Aesthetic elements and effects




Once you’ve established the foundation of your brand, it’s time to integrate it uniformly throughout your company.


Create a style guide to ensure you have a unified voice and presence across every channel. Outline how you want your brand to sound, look, and feel as a reference. Your brand’s personality should be evident through every social media post, marketing campaign, and the design of your website.


No matter where customers encounter your brand—through a Instagram ad, in a retail store, or in their inbox—the experience should be familiar and recognizable.


If you want to know how to build a brand without social media, the answer is simple – you can’t. In today’s world, you just can’t afford to ignore social media. Facebook has over 2.4 billion monthly active users. That’s almost a third of the world’s population.


Your website is the palace where you’ll have the most control over your brand identity. Use this space to its fullest potential.


  • Style guide for marketing

  • Traditional marketing

  • Digital marketing (Website ,Social Media)

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