Spend any time on social media and the masses will have you believing that you can build a brand in less than an hour a day or that you can make thousands just by promoting other peoples products. They post reels about how all you have to do is create one digital product on Canva to sell over and over and you can make thousands of dollars a week. But the truth is, building a brand is work and anyone who tells you on social media that they can run their business by working only an hour a day is full of shit. I have worked with brands from the start up stages and brands that generate over a million dollars a year in sales and I can tell you that not a single one them only work an hour a day. Building a brand requires strategic planning, creative thinking, and consistent execution. Whether you're a startup or looking to rebrand an existing business, grab a coffee and sit down in your comfy chair; let's talk about the steps to developing your brand strategy.
Step 1. Define Your Brand Purpose and Values
Every brand starts with a purpose. Ask yourself:
- What problem does your brand solve?
- Why does your brand exist?
- What values drive your brand?
When I first started out after graduating with my web development degree, I built a website to support my cities local small businesses - the local coffee shops, locally owned restaurants and bakeries, boutiques and more. My purpose was to promote the local small businesses so people would shop at places other than Starbucks and Walmart.
Clearly defining your brand's purpose and values will serve as the foundation for all your branding efforts.
Step 2. Analyze Your Competitors
Study your competitors to identify gaps in the market and opportunities for differentiation. Look at:
- Their branding and messaging
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Customer reviews and feedback
At the time I started my website of local businesses, there was no one else working in my community to promote just the locally owned small businesses. My only "competition" was the local initiative from the next city over who was looking to expand into my city but who couldn't seem to get a foothold in the community. I spent hours visiting businesses, eating at the local restaurants, introducing myself to the owners and talking to them about the gaps in support from the local community. I listened, I learned, and that became my strength.
Use this analysis to position your brand uniquely. You can sell the same product or service as someone else, the key is defining your unique selling point - how are you different?
Step 3. Research Your Target Audience
Understanding who your audience is and what they need is crucial. Conduct market research to gather insights about your target demographic, including:
- Age, gender, location, and interests
- Pain points and challenges
- Buying behaviors and preferences
My target audience for my website was members of the local community - and anyone who was visiting our city. I promoted local restaurants as alternatives to Ruby Tuesday's and Applebee's. I promoted farmers market vendors and local bakeries as alternatives to Food Lion. I knew that many of the people from my city went to the next city over to do their shopping or dining out - my goal was to give them reason's not to - to get to know my local city in a different way.
Learning who your target audience is and what they need will not only help you tailor your brand message to resonate with your audience, it can also help you identify where to focus your marketing efforts.
4. Craft Your Brand Identity
Your brand identity includes your name, logo, color palette, typography, and overall design aesthetic. It should reflect your brand's personality and appeal to your target audience. Consider hiring a professional designer to create a cohesive and visually appealing brand identity.
My logo for my local website was a little location icon with a heart in the middle. It was green and pink and I had window stickers made for the local businesses in my city so that the local businesses would be easy to spot.
5. Develop Your Brand Voice and Messaging
Your brand voice is how you communicate with your audience. It should be consistent across all platforms and reflect your brand's personality. Craft key messages that convey your brand's values, benefits, and unique selling propositions (USPs).
6. Create a Brand Story
A compelling brand story can connect with your audience on an emotional level. Share the journey of your brand, including:
- The inspiration behind it
- Challenges you overcame
- Milestones and successes
Your brand story should be authentic and relatable.
After living in my city for a few years, I visited a local coffee shop that made me realize what I was missing out on by doing daily Dunkin drive-through trips. I found amazing coffee, amazing people, amazing customer service, and introductions to so many other local people running local businesses and it changed my whole view on where I spent my money in my local community.
7. Build an Online Presence
In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential. This includes:
- A professional website
- Active social media profiles
- Engaging content (blogs, videos, infographics)
I had a website - an always growing database of local business and their hours, location, services or products and links to their social media and website. I ran an Instagram and Facebook account dedicated to sharing the businesses posts I thought would help increase their traffic and also posting pictures of all the businesses I was visiting - food, events etc.
Ensure that your online presence is consistent with your brand identity and messaging.
8. Implement a Marketing Strategy
Promoting your brand requires a well-thought-out marketing strategy. This can include:
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- Paid advertising (Google Ads, social media ads)
It can also include things like business cards, branded t-shirts for your staff or promotional materials like mugs and notepads for your sales team to gift to perspective clients.
I took pictures every where I went around my city. I was at every event, farmers market, city concert. I made sure I knew everything that was happening in my city. I had t-shirts that I wore everywhere, gave them out, and even began a support local "discount card" that gave anyone who had the card a discount at our local businesses. I boosted posts and ran small locally targeted social media ads.
Make sure you track the performance of your marketing efforts and adjust your strategy as needed. Look for trends, be consistent, be always changing.
9. Engage with Your Audience
With social media transforming from a place to connect with friends to engaging with brands, buying products and services and serving as a search engine, building a brand is not just about broadcasting your message; it's also about engaging with your audience. Respond to comments, participate in conversations, and show appreciation for your customers. Building a community around your brand fosters loyalty and trust.
10. Monitor and Evolve Your Brand
Branding is an ongoing process. Regularly monitor your brand's performance through analytics and customer feedback. Be open to making adjustments and evolving your brand to stay relevant and meet your audience's changing needs.
Building a brand takes time, effort, and dedication; it doesn't happen overnight. An idea today doesn't become a successful business without planning and strategy and time. Think about what you want your brand to be, to stand for. By staying true to your brand's purpose and values, you can create a strong, memorable brand that resonates with your audience and stands out in the market. Create your story, build your brand.
Wondering what happened to my local website? Someone else thought it was a good idea, copied my database, turned it into an app before I could, and sold it to the local visitors center. When someone else took all of my hard work - close to two years - and got paid for it, I stepped away from my website to focus on other projects. The one good thing that came of my efforts was the relationships I had built - which turned into some of my favorite website and marketing clients and propelled me further into building my own website and marketing business.