Your brand is your business’ personality in the mind of the public, your staff and your customers. It incorporates everything from your logo, to your marketing, to your brand identity and your story. It’s everything that people think of your business. There is a range of services that you will need to utilise if you want to create a successful brand.

How is a brand created?

The very first step in any branding project is brand strategy. This involves asking questions about your business like:

• Who are we?
• Who is our target audience?
• Why should they choose us?
• Who are our competitors?
• What makes us different to them?
• What are we best at?
• What’s the key benefit we offer our customers?
• What do we stand for as a business?

Branding specialists will help you answer these questions with research, client interviews, brand workshops and marketing science. Answering these questions gives your business direction and helps guide important business decisions while giving you and your employees a sense of identity and purpose.

What will my branding project consist of?

• Brand strategy
• Brand building workshops
• Company and product naming
• Logo design
• Brand design and development
• Corporate identity development
• Stationery application
• Brand application
• Corporate identity style guides
• Advertising & marketing style guides
• Corporate language guides

You may not need all of these if you are starting a new business - the most essential elements will be your company name, your logo, your brand design and your corporate identity.

What sort of professionals are involved in a branding project?

• Market researchers help you understanding the existing marketplace and your competitors so you can better craft an effective strategy.
• Marketing strategists use the research to build a plan, set goals and track progress towards those goals.
• Graphic Designers create the visual elements of your brand, such as the logo and style guide, which will determine how your brand looks and feels.
• Copywriters, content writers and bloggers will create a communication style for your business and use it to speak to your target audience.
• Advertising specialists will apply your brand to your advertisements, which will help generate exposure and interest in your business.
• Photographers will take photos that support and enhance your brand image, for use across a range of mediums.

How can I use my brand to advance my business?

Your brand is put to work in any and all forms of communication your business makes with the public, your customers and even your staff. Any form of marketing or advertising should be created in line with your branding style guide and language guide to ensure that you are consistent across all mediums. This will help you build a credible and recognisable business. Examples of where your brand will be utilised include:

• Television, radio and print advertising
• Direct marketing
• Your website
• Digital marketing
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Business communications (both internal and external)
• Annual reports
• Quotes
• Internal documents
• Stationery

Your staff should be fully educated on how to represent your brand as well. The way they speak to customers, the language they use and how they manage your business relationships should all reflect your brand and support your core values.