Top 10 Pillars of Branding to Build Your Business On

Top 10 Pillars of Branding to Build Your Business On

When it comes to branding, one size does not fit all. Each business will have the branding style that works best for it. However, common elements can help build a brand that will stick with your audience.

It's important to understand that branding is not about how pretty your logo is. It's not about the colour schemes you choose. It's not about how many graphics you include in your business logo. It's about everything you do that gives you an advantage over the competition. It's about creating a consistent brand identity that works for your company and customers.

If you're an entrepreneur, small business owner, or new product developer, the time has come to focus on your brand and the pillars of branding. The branding process is vital to building a solid brand and connecting with your customers.

The Top 10 Pillars of Branding

You've probably heard about the pillars of branding. But what does it mean? To be successful, you've got to understand the concept of branding, which is a big part of making your business successful. 

As an entrepreneur, your brand isn't just your company name, logo, and colours—it's the image you present to the world. And what's even more important than the physical aspects of branding is the intangible stuff: the emotional impact your brand has on your prospects and customers. When it comes to the pillars of branding, there are ten essential things you need to know to ensure your business's success.

1 – Identify your ideal client/customer

Identifying your ideal client/customer for branding is one of the most critical tasks in marketing. Identifying your ideal client/customer for branding is one of the hardest jobs in the world. This is because many factors go into your ideal client/customer. These include age, gender, culture, location, income, etc.

Specific techniques will help you identify your ideal client/customer for branding. Let's discuss them in detail:

1: Research your market

Your first step is to research your market. This will help you know your customers better. By using the Internet, you'll be able to find out what they like, dislike, want, etc.

The Internet has become an excellent source for research and finding out about your market. You need to enter a keyword like “What is the ideal customer for my brand?” In this way, you'll be able to get a list of articles related to your market.

2: Find out the competition

One of the most important things to know is who your competitors are. Your competitors are those companies who sell the same product as you do. They will be your direct rivals. To find out the competition, you'll need to visit your website analytics and find out the details about your competitors.

3: Analyse your competitors' websites

Once you know the competitors, you can analyse their websites to find out what they offer. This will allow you to create a better image of your market. You can also better understand what your competitors' customers want.

Once you have analysed your competitors, you can have a good idea about what your customers want. You can also create a unique identity for your market. Once you've done that, it's time to move to the next step.

4: Find out the social media presence

The social media presence of your market is the next thing you need to find out. The social media presence will tell you about the popularity of your market.

5: Research your competitors' social media presence

Once you've discovered your market's social media presence, you need to research your competitors' social media presence. If your competitors have a large number of followers, then it means that they're well-known. If they don't have a good number of followers, then it means that they're

2 – Understand what they want from you

In today's market, the more important thing is that people are getting more conscious about their requirements and wants. They want a better experience in the services they receive. It is the key to success. 

Therefore, every business owner should know how to make a customer-centric business model. If you want to understand your customer's needs, there are many ways you can do that.

Understand what they want

The first thing you need to know is what they want. It is the foundation of everything else. You can ask your customers and get to know what they want. You can even ask them using surveys or questionnaires.

Listen to what they say

The second way is listening to what they say. You will know what they expect from your products or services if you listen to them. For example, if they say they are looking for a faster response, you can develop a solution that offers faster responses.

Ask them directly

If you ask them directly, they will tell you exactly what they want. This is a great way to know their expectations and demands. However, the downside of this approach is that you may not get honest answers.

Get a good understanding

Finally, you can always try to get a good understanding. For this, you need to understand your customer's expectations. You can ask them directly or use surveys to learn the requirements and expectations.

The above points are the ways to understand your customer's needs. Make sure you can give them what they want, as it will help you serve them better.

3 – Create a clear message

A brand is one of the most important things that you can use to make your business stand out in the crowd. Businesses compete more than ever in today's world, so you must differentiate yourself from others. To do this, you should always have a strong brand that people recognise and associate with your products. A brand is essentially a way of representing your company in the minds of your customers.

To create a brand that people will remember, you must be careful about what you do. This is because a brand is different from just being cute or funny. It represents a lot of hard work and planning. So, you must ensure that your brand reflects what you are trying to accomplish and that your brand stands for something.

Here are some tips that you can use to help you create a brand that your customers will love.

Create a logo for your company

The first thing that you need to do is create a logo. It's a good idea to start with a straightforward design, but it's much better if you make something great. Try to make the logo look professional and unique. It doesn't matter whether you spend hours perfecting it, as long as you create something that represents who you are and what you are trying to do.

Be consistent

Consistency is one of the most important things you can use to create a brand that people will recognise. To create a brand that people will love, you must ensure that everything is consistent. For example, if you have a website, you must ensure that everything is consistent, from your website title to your blog post titles to the font size, colour, and layout. Everything needs to be consistent. If you are trying to create a brand that is not consistent, you are going to lose many people.

Use the right colours

Another thing that you need to think about is choosing the right colours. You need to choose colours that match the brand and that are suitable for the type of business that you have. Make sure that they are simple, bold, and easy to understand. Don't use anything complicated. Instead, go for something simple and easy to read.

Think about the message

If you want to create a brand that people will recognise, you need to make sure that you think about the message that you want to convey. What are you trying to say? What does your company stand for? How are you different from other companies? You need to make sure that you write down all of these things so that you can make sure that your brand is clear.

4 – Use your product/service to meet a need

You should be able to see where you're going. But, you might be surprised to learn that you can't.

As a manager, you need to know what you need to do to make the company profitable, but you can't always know what your employees need to do to make them happy. And, you need to be aware of what your customers need to meet their needs.

In this case, we're talking about customers and employees. But, the same principles apply to other markets. You need to know what customers and employees need to succeed, and then you need to use those things to meet their needs.

That's why the first step to creating a happy and productive environment at work is to know what you need to do to meet the needs of your customers and employees.

Let's start by answering a fundamental question:

How many people does my company need to meet customer needs?

Here are a few examples of customer needs:

• If you're running a restaurant, you need to know how many tables you need to fill for your restaurant to be profitable.
• If you're selling a product to a distributor, you need to know how many products you need to sell to reach profitability.
• If you're working for a government agency, you need to know how many cases you need to handle to keep from losing money.
• If you're a doctor, you need to know how many patients you need to treat to keep from losing money.

You need to know how many people it takes to meet these needs.

Now, you need to think about the needs of your employees. If they're not satisfied, they won't be happy, and they won't be productive.

The same thing applies to your employees.

How many people do I need to employ to make the company profitable?

• If you're running a restaurant, you need to know how many servers you need to hire to ensure you don't lose money.
• If you're selling a product to a distributor, you need to know how many salespeople you need to hire to ensure you reach profitability.
• If you're working for a government agency, you need to know how many office employees you need to hire to keep from losing money.
• If you're a doctor, you need to know how many nurses you need to employ to keep from losing money.

Again, you need to know how many people you need to meet customer needs, and you need to know how many people you need to meet employee needs. Then, you need to figure out who does what.

5 – Tell a story with a brand promise

When creating a brand promise, it is crucial to tell a story. It is not enough to just state a goal; you need to show why your product/service is better than the competition. This allows people to understand the benefits of using your product.

Branding is the process of describing the features of a company in a way that communicates the idea of who they are, what they do, and why they are unique. You must define your target audience to create a brand promise for your company. 

Defining your target audience is to establish your brand and position your company in the market. You should also be able to communicate the benefits of using your product/service. Your brand promise should include these key components.

What is your brand promise?

A brand promise is a clear statement of your company's goals. This statement should be specific, believable and meaningful.

A brand promise is typically presented to customers at the beginning of a relationship. Still, if you sell products or services online, they can be presented at any point during the customer's journey with your business. Your brand promise should include the following key components.

How will you communicate the value of your product/service to your audience?

To communicate the value of your product or service to your target audience, you need to explain what it does and how it helps your target audience. This is often done with a benefit statement. It could be like, “We make your life easier by making it easier for you to stay connected with friends.”

Why should your target audience use your product/service?

As mentioned earlier, your brand promise should communicate your product service's benefits to your target audience. You should explain what the competition offers to help people understand why they should use your product/services. An example might be, “Our app is cheaper and provides better quality than the competition.”

How can you provide more value than the competition?

An excellent way to differentiate yourself is to talk about the things you are unique and not found in the competition. When communicating this, remember that it is essential to be honest, and avoid over-selling.

What kind of stories will you tell?

The stories you tell will reinforce your brand or give it a bad name. Your brand promise should focus on the positive things you do for your customers instead of the negative ones. For instance, instead of telling people that your brand is the best, it should focus on what it is good at.

6 – Create a unique brand experience

How do I create a unique brand experience for my customers? Is there a specific approach I should use to ensure that my customers always feel like they're dealing with me? What are some critical things I need to consider to create a great customer experience?

First of all, what is a brand? A brand is how your customers think about you, so you must also think about your brand. Your brand is essentially your personality. 

You want your customers to think that they're talking to you, that you're someone they can trust, that you're friendly, that you have integrity. You need to be authentic and consistent in everything you do.

You need to know your company's core values to create a unique brand experience for your customers. Core values are the things that matter to your business, the things that are most important to you. When it comes to your customers, these should be what you strive for – honesty, fairness, respect, and loyalty.

Now, what does this mean for your customer? It means that your customer should feel like you're their friend, treat them fairly, be honest and trustworthy, and be loyal to them. You need to ensure that your customers feel special, so they'll stay with you longer. To do this, you need to create a sense of loyalty and a sense of community. Make it easy for your customers to reach you, and ensure you're available to answer their questions.

Finally, what makes a brand unique? It's all about the details. You need to be thoughtful about your branding. You need to create something recognisable that people will love, that you'll love. You need to make sure that it reflects you. If it doesn't reflect you, it won't represent who you are and what you stand for.

How do I create a unique brand experience for my customers? To begin with, you need to understand your brand and what makes it unique. You must clearly understand what makes you different and what you want to achieve. Then, you need to create an image and a message representing that. 

Once you've got those two things together, you need to create a unique customer experience by making sure your customers feel valued.

7 – Find ways to make your brand memorable

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you're not just dealing with products and services. You also need to ensure that you have a memorable brand. After all, if your brand isn't remembered, you won't get repeat business or referrals. This article will share five ways to make your brand memorable.

1: Use your brand's name consistently.

Your brand should be an extension of yourself. When people hear your brand's name, they should feel a sense of familiarity. For example, if you sell online clothing, then your brand is the word “Tees” (or “t's”, as many people write it). When someone sees this brand, they automatically think of your company. 

If you're selling a product or service, guarantee your brand name is consistent across all the places you use it. You must ensure that your brand is consistent if you have different websites, social media pages, business cards, letterhead, etc.

2: Create a logo that stands out.

A brand has a personality, and you should reflect this personality in everything you do. Your logo should be distinctive. It shouldn't look like it belongs on every other logo. For example, stick with something straightforward, like a cursive logotype, if you're going for a simple, classic look. If you want something bolder, go for something more exciting, like a red and white chevron. Make sure that the logo is consistent across all your platforms.

3: Create a visual identity.

If you want your brand to stand out, then you need to create a visual identity. This includes things like your logo, typeface, and colour palette. Make sure that everything you use to represent your brand is consistent, whether it's your logo, typeface, colours, fonts, and so on.

4: Make your brand easy to remember.

When people first meet your brand, they may not know what it is. They have to ask themselves, “What's this brand?” It's not a good feeling when you can't recall what your brand is. This is why it's essential to ensure that your brand is easy to remember.

5: Make your brand memorable.

If your brand isn't memorable, then you won't be able to capture repeat business. This is because people won't associate your brand with the products and services that you offer. For example, if your brand is a pizza shop, you need to make sure that your brand is memorable as there are probably several in the area.

8 – Build a strong brand identity

There are certain things that you need to take care of if you want to build a strong brand identity. This article will discuss five steps you should follow to create a strong brand identity.

1: Use your brand colours

The first step is to choose your brand colours. It is essential to choose your colours wisely. You need to know which colour combination works best for your website. Many sites offer help in choosing your colour palette.

2: Choose your fonts

Another important thing that you need to take care of is the choice of your font. It is necessary to choose fonts that are in keeping with your brand image. You can use your brand logo or choose from one of the free fonts available online.

3: Create a logo for your brand

Creating a logo is the next step. It helps in communicating your business image to others. A simple and unique logo is what you need. You should use your brand colours in your logo.

4: Create a website for your brand

Your website is the face of your business. Therefore, ensuring that your website looks consistent with your brand is crucial. Also, you should make sure that it is search engine friendly. You should also take care of your web design. It should be clean and easy to navigate.

5: Get Social Media Accounts

Social media accounts are beneficial. They are mini-websites that help you engage with your customers and clients. Therefore, it is essential that you have social media accounts. You can set up a Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube channel.

The five steps mentioned above will help you build a solid brand identity.

9 – Create a brand strategy

A brand strategy is a blueprint for how a business can succeed. It helps a company reach its target audience, stay ahead of the competition and achieve its business objectives.

It can be a little daunting for businesses that haven't yet created one. Many businesses are still struggling to develop a good one. But it's vital that you set yourself a clear goal in creating yours. Otherwise, you risk spending your time and money on something that doesn't produce the desired results.

Why create a brand strategy?

To raise awareness

Brands aren't just for the likes of Apple, Nike, and Starbucks. They're everywhere: in supermarkets, the office, social media, and everyday objects. That means ensuring you have a strong, memorable brand identity.

To connect

A brand strategy is one of the most effective ways to ensure potential customers can recognise your products, services, and offers. It helps guarantee that the messages you send out are relevant and consistent.

To differentiate

Your brand identity is essential, but it mustn't overshadow what makes your business different from others. To make this happen, you must communicate what you're all about.

To retain

There are always new trends in the marketplace. You could be left behind if you don't adapt to them quickly enough. A brand strategy will allow you to position your business, keep you visible to customers, and position you well enough to survive the competition.

10 – Use your brand as a marketing tool

When deciding whether to use your brand as a marketing tool, there are things to consider. The main point is that whatever you decide must fit in with your values and your company's purpose. As with any marketing activity, it should be in line with your brand personality. In addition, you need to consider how you communicate your brand and core values.

Are you selling a product or service or promoting your brand as a positive character?

You should consider how this will impact your audience and how it will align with your company's purpose. For example, will you positively use your brand to promote your products and services, or would you prefer to portray yourself as more ‘professional' than a real person?

Consider your target market.

It is essential to understand the people you are targeting and whether you aim to appeal to a broader range of customers or one particular group. This will influence the kind of image and message you use and the way you communicate. 

If your brand is meant to appeal to a broad market, you may find it easier to market your brand with humour and fun. However, if your brand is more specific, you might want to be more serious and reserved. Whatever you decide, it needs to be relevant to your business and the people you are communicating with.

Communicate your brand

To effectively communicate your brand, you must create a strong brand identity and message. Your brand image should reflect your brand values, purpose and purpose statement. The message you convey to your audience will be based on your brand promise, brand mission and brand personality.

Do your research.

You will need extensive research on your target market and competitors before deciding. What does your target market want and expect from your brand? Are they looking for a different type of product or service? Do they need convincing to buy? Do they need reassurance that you are the right person to do the job?

When choosing the content of your messages, think about the following factors:

• Which channels and mediums will your message appear in?
• What are the key messages you want to convey?
• How often will you need to deliver the messages?
• How will you achieve the desired results?
• What will your audience find attractive?
• How will you ensure the message is received and understood?

Do you communicate in the same way with all your customers or clients?

You may benefit from a brand strategy workshop if you are unsure how to deliver your brand message.

How do you plan to communicate your brand?

There are many ways to communicate your brand:

• Through a website or web store
• Through social media
• By email
• In the press
• In TV, radio and film
• In other print media
• In a trade show or event
• By giving talks and workshops
• In advertising or on billboards
• Through direct mail and catalogues
• On your packaging
• In your promotional material and advertising
• In your physical stores

Conclusion

The main thing to remember when developing a branding strategy for your company is to keep it simple. Often, people get so caught up in trying to be unique that they create a branding strategy that is far too complex. If you keep your branding strategy simple, you can use the other nine pillars of branding to fill in any holes in the branding plan.

If you have an idea for your product, don't worry! You can use these same pillars of branding as guidelines to help you develop your brand.