Issue #17: Brand building 101

Why a strong brand is essential for success and how to create one

Reading time: 4.5 Minutes

Hello there fellow founders,

Building a strong brand identity is essential to the success of your start-up.

In this blog, I’ll share my experience and offer actionable steps to help you establish a strong brand identity.

Why brand?

A startup's brand is more than just its logo – it's the entire experience it offers to its customers.

Therefore, it's essential to take the time to develop a strong brand identity that truly represents the startup's values and mission.

Unfortunately, many start-ups fail to establish a strong brand identity, which can lead to confusion and mistrust from customers.

Inconsistency = Confusion

Start-ups may have different messaging, visual elements, or tone of voice across various platforms, which can lead to confusion among their target audience.

This is compounded by constant pivoting and changes of direction

Without a clear and consistent brand identity, customers may struggle to understand what the brand stands for and what it offers, which can hurt its growth and success in the long run.

Here are several other ways people fail to establish a strong brand identity:

1. Lack of differentiation: If you don’t differentiate yourself from your competitors, customers won’t have a reason to choose you over them.

2. Ignoring your target audience: If you don’t understand your target audience, your branding won’t resonate with them.

3. Focusing too much on trends: Following trends too closely can make your brand feel inauthentic and lacking in originality.

4. Not investing enough time and effort: Building a strong brand identity takes time and effort. Neglecting this can lead to a weak and unremarkable brand.

To avoid these pitfalls, startups must take a strategic approach to building their brand identity. This involves defining their brand values and mission statement, developing their brand personality and visual identity, and creating a brand style guide.

Step 1: Define your brand values and mission statement

Your brand values define the principles and beliefs that your brand stands for, and your mission statement communicates your brand's purpose and what you aim to achieve.

This helps guide all of your branding decisions and ensures consistency across all touchpoints.

When your brand values and mission statement are clear and consistent, it creates a strong and memorable brand identity that resonates with your target audience.

Action - Defining your brand values and mission statement:

• Framework: Start by brainstorming a list of words that describe your brand's personality and values. Use these words to craft a mission statement that reflects your brand's purpose and goals. For example, if you're a health and wellness brand, your mission statement might be something like "To empower people to live healthier, happier lives through natural and sustainable products."

• Example: Consider the popular brand TOMS, whose mission is to "improve lives through business". Their brand values include things like sustainability, responsibility, and community, which are all reflected in their mission statement.

HubSpot put together 27 mission statements that may proviode some inspiration.

Step 2: Developing your brand personality and visual identity

Your brand personality should reflect your brand values and mission statement.

Think about your brand as a person – what characteristics would it have?

How would it interact with customers? Use these insights to develop a brand voice and tone that will be consistent across all communications.

Next, create a visual identity that reflects your brand personality. This includes your logo, color scheme, typography, and other design elements.

Action - Defining your brand values and mission statement:

• Framework: Start by creating a brand personality profile that outlines the characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors that define your brand. From there, you can create a brand voice and tone that aligns with your personality. For your visual identity, create a mood board that includes images, colors, and typography that reflect your brand personality and values.

• Example: The brand Mailchimp has a playful and approachable personality, which is reflected in their visual identity through their use of bold, bright colors and whimsical illustrations.

Step 3: A brand style guide

A brand style guide is a comprehensive document that outlines all of your brand guidelines.

It should include details on your brand values, mission statement, brand voice and tone, visual identity, and any other relevant information.

Your style guide will serve as a reference point for all employees, contractors, and partners to ensure that everyone is using consistent branding across all touchpoints.

This will help you build a strong, recognizable brand identity that resonates with your target audience.

Action - Build a brand style guide

• Framework: Create a document that includes all of the relevant information about your brand, including your mission statement, brand voice and tone, visual identity, and any other relevant details. Be sure to include examples of how your brand should be represented across various touchpoints, such as your website, social media, and packaging.

• Example: Airbnb has a comprehensive brand style guide that includes detailed guidelines on everything from their logo usage to their photography style. By providing clear guidelines for how their brand should be represented, they ensure that their brand identity is consistent across all touchpoints.

I found this video a great resource for this process:

Conclusion

In conclusion, building a strong brand identity takes effort, but it's worth it.

Startups need to establish a clear and consistent brand identity that differentiates them from their competitors and resonates with their target audience.

By defining their brand values and mission statement, developing their brand personality and visual identity, and creating a brand style guide, startups can build a strong, recognizable brand identity that sets them up for long-term success.

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