Written by Andrew Holliday | June 9, 2016
You learned about what a brand is and what the process of branding is in Part One of this series. Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty steps.
Step 1: SELF-ASSESSMENT
The first step in building a brand is knowing who you are. Go through and take the time to carefully answer each of these questions. You’ll be amazed at how much you can learn about your company, product and culture by answering just five questions.
What do you do better than anyone else?
The answer to this question should never be price related. The only company in the world that successfully sells on price is Walmart. Everyone else is just one hungry competitor willing to work for pennies away from losing your differentiating benefit.
What is your single motivating purpose?
If your only motivating purpose is to make money, you lack a true purpose. You need something deeper. What you define here has the potential to become the 5-second elevator pitch for your business.
Why should I hire you?
You need to be able to answer this question for every potential client. If you can’t articulate why they should hire you, how do you expect them to trust you?
What are the two characteristics you want to be known for by employees, clients, vendors, and prospects?
We make you narrow down to only two because you can’t be known for everything. It’s important to pick what is most important to you. Go beyond the obvious shallow answers. Think deep about this answer. This is going to go a long way toward setting the direction of your culture as a company.
What is your prospect profile?
Think about your client list. Who are your best clients? Who values your services the most? Where do you deliver the most value? Which relationships provide you the most satisfaction? You need to paint a very specific prospect profile so you can speak to them with your brand.
Step 2: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Determine what everyone else in your field is doing. But don’t copy them! This is the huge mistake the vast majority of companies make. They look around at everyone else in their industry and say, “company A is doing this, so we need to do this as well.”
As the saying goes, when everyone zigs, zag. The best way to differentiate yourself is to find uncharted territory. Do something that your competition doesn’t. Or, if you’re in a field where the product truly is almost interchangeable, find a way to position your culture and client experience as different. If you search hard enough, you’ll find that opportunity.
Step 3: COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
Now that you have a good idea of who you are and how to differentiate from your competition, you’re ready to lay the foundation for your brand. This foundation upon which everything else will be built is your communication strategy.
This document will lay out the 2-3 key talking points for your company. Keep them simple and short. These should be easily recited off the top of your head to anyone who asks about your company. Think of it as your elevator pitch.
Every piece of communication coming from your company moving forward will use this strategy document as a guide. Everything from your website and social media to your sales people’s presentations and pitches.
Everyone in the company from the CEO to the receptionist should be intimately familiar with the communication strategy, so you’re all providing the same message. Every form of communication that a potential customer hits will now give them the same perception of your company. Contact us if you’d like to see some communication strategy examples.
Step 4: DESIGN
This step is where the visual identity comes into play. Consistent execution across all forms of communication is what drives recognition. A great visual identity can be a tremendous business asset. Unfortunately, I can’t walk you through creating your visual identity. This step is best handled by an expert like Harvest (not trying to bait and switch on you here). You can hire cheap logo designers, website designers and do everything via the budget route, but you usually get what you pay for with these companies. Don’t expect to pay Kia prices and get a Ferrari.
Items you’ll want to address with your design process to ensure they’re all consistent include:
- Logo
- Business Cards
- Letterhead
- Proposals
- Website
- Signage
- Social Media
- Advertising
- Office Environment
Step 5: BRAND GUIDELINES
An often overlooked part of the process is documentation. Having a well-crafted brand message and visual identity is pointless if you don’t provide a roadmap on utilization. Give your employees, vendors and customers clear direction on the application of your brand to ensure it maintains its integrity. Most brand guidelines include sections on the following in some form or fashion:
- Mission
- Tone & Voice
- Logo Use
- Color Palette
- Photography
- Typography
- Design Checklist
Step 6: LIVE IT
The great brands are great because they’re consistent day in and day out. They live it. It really is that simple.
Action Steps:
Complete the self-assessment questions in step one.
