Branding is an important part of any business’ success. Many people think branding is just a logo, or making marketing materials look sleek, but it’s much, much more than that. Branding accelerates a business, driving sales, success and growth.
Your brand is a living, breathing entity created from the actions and decisions that your company makes. That’s powerful! Your brand is comprised of the things that people say about you and your company when you’re not around and the emotional connections they make to that experience. As designers, it’s our job to help build positive associations with your brand so that your consumer will want to choose you over the competitor.
Here’s a sneak peek at how we empower brands:
Define the Competition
Figuring out who you’re up against is the first step in building a successful brand. Through on-site research and strategy sessions, we work together with the client to define who the competition is and what makes you different. By defining what’s already out there, and how you fit in, we are able to better navigate your specific market and define ways that you can excel. After all of the information is compiled, it begins to paint a solid picture of the direction that your brand should be heading in. As “outsiders” it’s a tad easier for us to see the proverbial “writing on the wall” than if you were to attempt this exercise yourself.
Market Research
Research, research, research. Research is key when working on not only branding projects, but all projects that impact your brand. Research allows you to make qualified recommendations based on actual facts and trends in the market. This phase of the process is aimed at understanding how your organization, or brand, fits into the larger competitive environment. By working with key stakeholders and consumers, we are able to better understand existing perceptions about your brand and reveal deeper insights you may have missed. The research may analyze price, value, competitive offerings, and define weaknesses, as well as an opportunity to conduct a visual comparative to ensure other brands are not confused with your brand.
Positioning Matters
Arguably, the most important piece of a solid brand is how its positioned. Brand positioning is the conceptual place you want to own in your target consumer’s mind. In essence, it’s what you want them to think of when they think of your brand. How you position your brand should be influenced by the trends and gaps in the market, ultimately aligning the “why” and the “what” it is you do in the first place. The following four key elements help us find where you fit in:
Target market
Definition of the target market
Brand promise
A reason to believe in the brand promise
These four elements help us to craft your positioning statement. This should act as a compass for your brand, guiding the decisions that are made. We like to think of this as a chart to guide
your brand, tracking movements against the checkpoints, ensuring marketing and message is always aligned, resulting in growth and business success.
Does It Work?
The final piece of the puzzle is to take a step back and make sure it all works together. This includes checking how your positioning statement, name, mission, vision, core values and overall strategy of your brand line up. It is important to ensure that all of the pieces hold integrity and are relevant and relatable to the consumer. If one part is off, it can bring the entire brand out of line.
Generate Results
With your new brand roadmap in hand, it’s time to hit the ground running. Over the past 20 years, we have helped position companies as leaders in their category. Branding helps drive trust, interest, connections & understanding. Ready to create something that does more than just look good on paper?