We talk a lot about what brand means and what you should expect from your branding agency when they build your visual identity and logo. (If you’re wondering what the heck we’re talking about, check out this blog post on the differences between branding terms. It’s time to zoom out and look at what YOU need to do to build an effective brand and everything that it encompasses.
Building a truly effective brand can take some legwork on your end before you even consider looking at building visual identity. So what does that entail? Here is a 5-step process that may help guide your brand-building process.
Step 1: Your Purpose
Deciding your purpose and putting it into words is the first step to defining who you are and where you fit in the market. This includes writing out your vision, mission statement, company values, and promise. Who you are at your core helps to guide the rest of the brand-building process!
Step 2: Your Audience
Next in the process is figuring out who you are trying to reach. Who are the people you want to serve? What are their problems? Their desires? If you’re looking for some extra help figuring out what they might want, check out this blog post on the 8 core desires of your audience. So why does audience building come now instead of later? Because you need to understand who you’re talking to before you can effectively talk or sell to them.
Step 3: Who are you?
So now you have your purpose laid out and who you’re trying to reach. Now it’s time to build a framework for reaching them. What is your content strategy? What is the vocabulary and language you want to use consistently? What’s your voice? These are all questions that will help establish your organization in the marketplace.
Step 4: Building your visual brand
This is where the professionals come in. Building a logo and visual identity is not for everyone. Designers go to school and dedicate years to their craft. They are the experts when it comes to creating a logo, choosing colours that work well together, and exploring fonts that match the personality of the company. If you want a logo and brand that means something to you, truly shows the personality of your business, and gives you all the technical elements you need to be successful, hire a professional.
Step 5: Activation
Now you’re ready to put your brand out into the world!! Use your visual identity and the brand frameworks you created to present your business to the public.! You’ve done a lot of the hard work and now it’s time to put it all together and share it with the world.
So what step are you on? Are you missing any pieces? Invest in yourself and make sure your audience is seeing the best version of you!
About the author: nine10
Nine10 Incorporated has spent the last 16 years developing brands, websites, and training businesses across Alberta. After their merger with imageDESIGN, they now have a combined market experience of 38 years.
Change has always been a core value of nine10 and, as the world has changed and evolved over the last 16 years, nine10 has adapted their offerings to best service their clients. They focus on making sure their clients leave with the tools and confidence they need to manage their Brands, Websites, and Digital Marketing on their own.
With their expanded team of Business Development Professionals, Designers, Website Developers, Print Experts, and Digital Marketing Trainers, they’ve built an incredible knowledge base. This group of experts and extensive experience helps their clients build vibrant, exciting new brands, websites, and assets to help their marketing shine.
If you’re looking to connect with nine10 to see how they can help your business stand out, visit their website at nine10.ca.
