The brand building process: how to create a winning brand

A brand is what helps businesses to inspire loyalty and grow their customer base, emphasising the importance of the process of building a brand that resonates with customers.

It’s no longer enough to have a great product. You must embrace the power of branding if you are to succeed. Take an accountancy firm, for example, each has the same product – they manage your accounts and file your returns – however, it’s brand that gives one a distinct difference over the other. It allows them to communicate what makes them special – their ethos, their values and their personality. It plays a large part in making someone pick one accountant over another – and the more consistent your branding attributes are, the stronger your brand impression will be, which is crucial in the brand building process.

So, what is the brand building process, and how can a startup build a brand that stands out in the marketplace? Here’s how to build a strong brand identity and transform your startup into a successful competitor in the marketplace, focusing on how to brand a startup effectively.

Preparation is key

When you’re figuring out how to build a brand strategy, understanding the process of building a brand and knowing your position in the market are crucial first steps. If you’re still working this out, take a look at our startup value proposition article and our free download, which will help you master this vital step and learn how a startup can build a brand.

READ: How To Create A Brand Positioning Statement

If you’ve completed this step and you still have some doubts about your startups’ vision and your position in the market, take the time to do a SWOT analysis (see table below). This is a great way of strategically planning and identifying your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Do more market research and speak to customers and partners, see if their opinions of your business align with your own vision.

To effectively navigate the process of building a brand, you need to understand how to do branding for a startup. This involves a series of strategic steps that ensure your brand resonates with your target audience.

Identifying your target audience

Developing your brand positioning involves a strategic process that starts with thorough market research to understand current trends, competitors, and customer needs. 

• Define your unique selling proposition (USP) by identifying what sets your brand apart and the unique benefits you offer. 
• Craft a concise brand positioning statement that clearly communicates your target audience, market definition, brand promise, and supporting evidence. 
• Align all your marketing materials to consistently reflect your brand positioning, ensuring your unique benefits are highlighted across all channels. 
• Regularly monitor customer feedback and market trends to adapt your strategy as needed, ensuring your brand remains relevant and competitive. 

This strategic approach will ultimately help establish your brand as a strong market presence and drive customer loyalty.

READ: 6 effective ways to collect customer feedback that will grow your business

Discover your brand characteristics

A successful brand is built on a harmonious blend of your business’s name and logo, the product or service you’re offering, your values, your personality and the story behind your business – and of course your brand guidelines, which enables your business to communicate in one consistent voice.

Understanding your audience’s demographics, preferences, and needs is essential in the brand building process and will help you tailor your branding efforts to resonate with them. So, nailing your positioning statement, vision, and mission is a crucial place to start in the process of building a brand. Break these key elements down and determine the following things:

• What makes your product significant in the current world we live in?
• What is your startup’s mission? Think about what benefit you will bring to the world through what you do.
• What problems have you set out to solve? Determine your fundamental promise to your customers.
• What makes you stand out from competitors and valuable to customers?
• Understanding how your customers feel about your brand and themselves is essential to your startups’ success. Think about what they will feel when they see, buy, use and talk about your brand.
• Consider your brands’ personality. You will have to make countless decisions about your brand, so if you can associate it with a person, making these decisions will be much easier with that brand personality in mind, rather than your own feelings and opinions.

READ: 12 ways to build brand credibility

Create your new brand look, feel and voice

Once you have a good idea of your brand characteristics, the next step in your brand-building process is to translate these characteristics into a look and feel that can be carried across all your marketing channels and make it work everywhere. When thinking about how to build a brand identity, consider everything – from your website, social media profile, blog, online advertisement, packaging, and more. This is a key step in understanding how to do branding for a startup. A great brand will be able to change and adapt wherever it is used, whilst remaining identifiable. Consider this when you prepare your creative brief outlining the brand identity you are building.

First impressions are everything and can have a huge impact on your business, which is why hiring a professional to design and develop your brand, website, and social media strategy is crucial if you want to understand how to brand a startup effectively. Starting your own business takes a lot of time and energy, so consider leaving your branding to the experts because time is money, and you’ll have more than enough to worry about.

READ: Brand Killers: The five suspects wrecking your brand

However, we also understand that some startups cannot afford a professional branding agency – it’s understandable that you may want to do it yourself in the early stages. If you’re thinking of going solo – perhaps sign up to our mailing list to receive our free mini-series “Five Tell Tale Signs Your Brand Isn’t Working” and make sure you avoid the most common branding mistakes.

Once you have found a designer you’re happy with you will need to provide them with a creative brief (alternatively they will get you to fill out their own or provide you with already prepared guidelines) outlining your brand vision. If they don’t go through this process, find another designer!

You can always approach your design prepared by downloading our free creative brief template.

Crafting your brand story

Your brand story is a narrative that encompasses your company’s history, mission, values, and vision. It’s a powerful tool for connecting with customers on an emotional level. Share your brand’s journey, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the passion behind your business. A compelling brand story can create a lasting impression and build a loyal customer base.

Implementing your brand across all touchpoints

Consistency is key when it comes to branding, and it’s a fundamental part of the process of building a brand that maintains customer trust and loyalty. Ensure that your brand is consistently represented across all touchpoints, including your website, social media profiles, packaging, and marketing materials. Every interaction a customer has with your brand should reinforce your brand identity and values.

Keep your brand alive

Perfecting your brand look, feel, and voice is only the beginning of the brand building process. Keeping your brand alive and consistent for years to come is a long-term commitment and building an identity that your customers come to know and trust will take a long time.
That’s why consistency is so important because if your brand is easily identified across all channels people are more likely to remember it.

Great brands are patient and persistent in following their identity, showcasing why branding is important for startups in the long run. Stay reliable, follow your values and keep your brand promises.

If you need help creating a distinctive brand, then look no further. We’re recognised in the top 25 branding agencies on DesignRush, and specialise in building brands for startups and scale-ups. If you’d like to discuss your brand project further, please feel free to get in touch