There’s no question that a good brand is one of the most valuable assets you can have. The Nielsen surveys suggest that 59% of all consumers prefer to buy a product from a brand that they are familiar with. Yes! As a small business, you’re probably competing against big brands with lots of customers and unlimited marketing funds. That’s why you have to find a way to make your brand stand out, differentiate yourself from others and build a brand that helps your customers identify who you are.

How to Build a Brand?

Branding is much more than just a logo you get from online freelance sites. You need more than just a good advertisement. Your brand identifies how a customer sees you and how he identifies with you. Good brand design has to be consistent in communicating your information. it needs to encompass all of the following:

• The environment (store, building, storefront)
• Signage, Packaging and print material
• Website and online advertising
• Reliable content
• Great customer service

Building a brand is a process, and when you do it correctly, your brand shows you are willing to establish a long-term relationship with customers. In turn, this leads to increased sales and more referrals. So are you wondering how to start? Here are a few steps to serve as a guide for building your brand.

1. Find your target audience

The foundation of all your brand building depends on who your target audience is. You need to keep in mind who you are trying to reach and then tailor your mission, your message and your advertising to the needs of this audience. You need to get specific here and figure out the behaviours and lifestyles of your consumers. So sit down for a minute and answer these questions:

• Who is my customer?
• What are their pain points?
• What do they need?

2.Create a Brand Mission Statement

Have you ever even thought about your brand mission? Create a clear expression of what your company is passionate about, how you intend to help your customers and the reason for your business efforts.

Before you can start to build a brand you need to know what values you hold dearest and what makes you passionate about your business. Your logo, your tagline, your voice, message and personality should reflect your mission.

Think about what started your business. Think about a brand that targets your specific customers. Start small and just keep your target audience in mind. In time as your loyalty grows then you can expand your reach to other types of audiences.

3. Observe What Your Competing Brands Are Doing

You don’t necessarily want to imitate another big brand, but you do want to know what works and what doesn’t. The goal is to be different from that of your competition and convince a customer to purchase from you. But to do that you need to know what the competition is doing wrong. Keep in mind that for your brand to be effective, your brand name needs to be easy to remember.

4. Distinguish The Key Qualities & Benefits of Your Brand

There are always going to be branded with larger budgets and more resources. but keep in mind that your products and services and benefits belong only to you. Starting a brand means you need to look carefully to find out what it is that makes your offer different. Focus on these differences, qualities and benefits and determine what makes your brand stand out.

Here are a few points that other brands have thought of:

• Your product is more authentic and transparent
• Tailored customer service
• A product that reduces costs and is a more affordable option
• A service that saves time on daily routines.
• Create a Brand Logo & Tagline

People often remember a brand because of the visual element. They will remember the logo if you have your branding right. The logo is probably the most important piece of the brand-building process.

The tagline is the one small sentence that demonstrates who you are. Keep in mind that the logo and tagline will generally be on everything that relates to your business. It becomes your identity, you’re calling card and the visual recognition of your promise. It’s important that the logo makes your brand stand out.

A good brand logo will also have a style guide which will refer to the following things:

• Logo size
• Colour palette
• Typography
• Image Style
• Iconography

Make Your Brand Personality Shine

Customers don’t want a cookie-cutter company that offers the same thing as everyone else. They want a company that demonstrates their expertise and shows that the company has genuine personality and personable interaction. This is what makes for a good brand.