When building and developing a brand you will want to keep things consistent to ensure clarity. Creating and building a brand from scratch can be beneficial as you get to feature designs and elements that truly reflect your business offering. At the same time building a brand can be a large task to tackle. Especially if you are tackling it by yourself. So, when building a brand what areas should you be focusing on? Trying to do everything yourself may be problematic so do not hesitate to reach out to others for help and assistance as and when you require it.
Your Workspace
The space where you work or trade from says a lot about your brand and about your offering. If you are welcoming customers to your business premises or offices, then your workspace needs to be designed and styled to compliment your business and your products or services. Everything from the office furniture you use down to the lighting matters, and it all creates an impression. Ensuring you create the right impression from the outset is important. When purchasing products, accessories and furniture you will want to use companies that specialize in office refurbishments and designs, simply because they are aware of what spaces need to be functional and efficient. For example, 299 Lighting focus on commercial lighting which can suit your space no matter how big or small it is. When you use good quality fixtures and fittings, you ensure that you have a functional workspace that can be used both now and in the long term.
Your Logo and Signage
A brand will not go far without adequate signage so you have to ensure you create a logo that represents what your business is about and what you have to offer. Good quality signage helps you stand out from competitors and it helps you build your brand. Getting a logo professionally designed could benefit you and could ensure that the message you send to your customers is the right one. Your logo and signage will be in use for a long time to come so make sure you get it right from the start as you do not want to be having to re-brand further down the line.
Your Website
This is probably where customers and your target audience see you first, so it has to sell your brand and it has to do so quickly and efficiently. Slow loading clunky websites leave visitors feeling disappointed and let down, so ensure that you capture, engage and retain website visitors from the beginning.
Social Media Pages
Your social media pages say a lot about the type of business you run and how effectively your business and brand is managed. When you use social media you have to provide engaging content that provides value. You also need to be accessible and approachable. Social media requires quick response times, especially when customers ask questions, so if you cannot quickly and efficiently answer queries on questions on your social media pages, it may be time to look at hiring someone or using a social media manager.
Your Message
When creating a brand you need to ultimately think about what your message is and what your offering is. If you do not have a core value or values to build upon then you need to make this a priority. A brand without a value and vision for the future will struggle to convince others of its trustworthiness and authenticity. So what is your message, do you want to only offer fair trade and eco-products, do you want to give back to the local community, do you want to sponsor community programs and so on. It is much easier and quicker to start building a brand around core values, a vision and a message, so make sure that these are created (if they are not already) as a matter of urgency.
Your Brand and Its Growth
Building a brand takes time. You have to build a reputation that is built on honesty and trustworthiness. Tarnishing a brand is very easy and quick to do, so you must make sure that you always under promise and over deliver to keep your customers and target audience happy. Over time your brand will grow and so too will you. Your views and visions may change, but you need to stay as true and focused to your original values as possible. If you deviate too much away from your core offering you may lose customers.
