How To Build Your Brand To Stand Out

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The term ‘brand’ is very misunderstood.  A lot of people think a brand is a logo and while the visual elements of your brand do play an important role, your brand consists of so much more than that. 

Everything you do, every person you hire is an extension of your brand.  You need to think about every possible touchpoint that your audience has with you when building your brand.  

If you’re looking to build a strong brand, have a look at the tips below for some inspiration.  

Why do I need a brand? 

It’s a competitive world out there.  Defining and living your brand and its values are going to be vital to differentiate you from the crowd and attract attention. Everything from your voicemail message to your custom product packaging is a reflection of your brand, so you have to make it goo. 

Defining your brand

Before you even think about logos and color schemes,  you need to do your research. 

Look hard at your target market and research your potential customers, competitors, suppliers, and influencers. A good overview of the market will let you set realistic business goals and objectives.  

Develop your buyer personas - these are semi-fictional profiles of your ideal customer.  They are very detailed and list their interest, preferences, potential barriers to purchase, and pain points. Be as specific as possible, they will allow you to laser focus your marketing so that you can zero in on your ideal customers, rather than trying a scattergun approach.   

Define your brand - once you know your market and who you a targeting, you can begin to formulate your brand based on your own values and the needs of your target market.  

Key messages - knowing yourself and knowing your brand will allow you to align your key messages to reflect them. 

Getting your brand out there

Each channel you use to promote your products and services should reflect your newly formed brand.  Look at your online, offline, paid, and earned media.  You need to look at the following: 

Search - your position in search engine results can seriously affect your web traffic.  You’ll need to work hard (or employee an agency) to rank well for our keywords and search terms. 

Social - once you’ve identified which social media platforms your target audience uses, you need to get up to speed on them and start building your presence on them too.  Each social media platform is unique and has its own specific nuances.  Devoting time to this at the outset will reap huge benefits. 

Inbound/content - content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build your sales pipeline and thought leadership credentials. Content can include vlogs, blogs, whitepapers, podcasts, and industry reports. 

Paid advertising - while you’re in the process of building up your SEO, paid advertising on search engines is a good way to get high converting traffic.  Ensure that your website is set up to properly engage and convert your visitors or you’ll just be wasting your money. Social advertising is also a great way to target your audience based on precise demographics.