You have your great idea and maybe you even have your vision, mission, and a business, but do you have a brand? In this podcast we’ll walk through the concept of branding, explain why you need one, and what you need to organize your brand now.
We’ll go through what you need to develop to get your brand out there. How you develop your brand, what a brand consists of, and what the things that you need to have ready so you know you have a brand.
A brand is having something that you love, an image, an idea that you love and you move forward with. People often get stuck with developing their vision, spending thousands of dollars when you can go to canvas and love it.
The following is not the only right answer, it’s our right answer – the minimum of what you need.
There are 3 checklists that we break this down as there are below:
The Message:
The voice, the idea, the terminology behind what you do. We know it’s not imagery, but customers are “seeing” this.
1. Mission – what are going to do/ purpose/goal
2. Vision – not always advertised, more internal. What motivates you and those working in your business. It should be something you get excited about and can see success once you achieve it. It’s something you go after.
3. Values – your values are part of your position – the value statement, core values are the checks and balance system you and use to measure if the work you are doing is on par with what your expectations are. Does the work you are doing showcase the vision and mission you want to provide?
4. Descriptions – define your services in a concise manner what you specifically do, and what your services entail. Do you have categories of products or services? Define these so your future customers know what they are looking for. Include what is covered by the service, and if necessary what you don’t do.
5. About – The Who We Are, What We Do, Who is it behind this brand? This is vital because you are a person, and people prefer doing business with a person. If you open up a bit about yourself, customers can build a connection. We advise you normally put something about yourself and your family, but also tie in why you have this business, why you are doing what you do. That heart, or your why, brings vulnerability so people to want to do business with you.
If these are not consistent throughout your brand – you’re going to have brand confusion.
The Look:
Everyone thinks this the way brands are developed, which is somewhat true. There’s more to your brand than just the look.
- Logo – this needs to be consistent and look the same wherever you are.
- Colors – use a hex code to make sure you are using the same colors everywhere.
- Fonts – we start our logo process with the font – what do you like, not like. This gets the ball rolling based on your decisions about your font. Not all logos are not font-based, but starting out with choosing your font helps you move forward. You can use, Canva, DaFont, or other font websites, but make sure that you have the ability to download the font and use it.
- Graphics – When creating header images for your website, or graphics for social media, use the same fonts, colors, and logo. A good brand can make it feel complete across all platforms using the same colors, logo, fonts. If your brand lacks consistency, people won’t spend the time to figure it out. Reduce confusion, be consistent.
- Icons – may be used for your logo, your website, just make sure that the colors and theme of your icons match your brand.
- Photos – this can be tough. It’s expensive to get good photography. You can use sites like Unsplash, Pexels, Pixaby, even Canva but those photos are public meaning anyone can use those photos. Photos tell a story, they communicate. The image is usually the deciding factor whether someone will leave the site or not. Use your iPhone and take photos in landscape, or stage some photos to take for your headers.
Placement:
This is usually what people will jump to forgetting the previous steps. Starting with Facebook, Instagram, or even Vistaprint to get their business cards skipping the whole process. You do want to get started and not get stuck, but the steps above lay the groundwork for your brand and make future decisions a lot easier. So where should your brand be placed?
1. Social Media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Linked In, and 2. TikTok – you may not want to choose all of these to begin with. Start with what you’re most comfortable with. Usually, Facebook and Instagram are good places to start.
2. Website – Have your message and look in place so you can move forward with a website.
3. Signs/ Print Materials – brochure, handout, a document if you’re online that people can print for themselves. Business cards are often something people take care of at this time. If you have a storefront – business cards are helpful, bags with your logo on it, tags, or receipts.
4. Promotional Items – cups, pens, hats, shirts where your business can be seen. Start with the small stuff, business cards, and maybe pens but don’t spend a lot of money on this. You can actually skip this altogether.
Trust the process and follow this list. Don’t start with a website.
Once you’ve developed your brand – share, share, share! Share it on social media, with friends and family, and everyone you meet.
Let’s get started on your brand journey – press play!
To find out more about Brandon and continue learning –
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Ep 002. Branding – What it is and Why You Should Have it
with Brandon Crist