What's Your Brand? Find Out With These Questions
By: Chelsée Curé, Branding Specialist
Your brand is not your logo.
Your brand is so much more than that. It’s not what you look like, but rather who you are as an organization.
Think of a brand you love, and come up with three adjectives to describe them. Rarely will those adjectives be entirely visual. Instead, you might think of the quality of the product or service, the way they make you feel, or even the type of client they cater to.
Our goal is to find out who your business is and how we want to be perceived. Then it’s a matter of ensuring that your audience comes up with the same list of adjectives.
Building your brand means building on authenticity.
Brands that stand the test of time tend to have a common thread in that they don’t cater to the whims of what’s ‘hot’ right now, but instead deliver a consistent brand identity that stands the test of time.
This doesn’t mean forging forward with blinders on. Audiences value a brand that is aware of the current times we’re living in. It’s just a matter of finding a way to take a trending topic and make it fit your brand rather than the other way around.
Consider me a self-help guru for your business. Let’s do a deep dive into who you are, what you want to bring to the world and what unique viewpoint you want to share with your industry. Then we use our marketing tools to generate leads and build strong client relationships.
Here are some questions to ask that may help get the ball rolling.
Who are you?
This one might seem simple enough to answer. If you’ve reached the point of needing branding work. You’ve probably hammered that elevator pitch into the ground, but let’s dig a little deeper shall we?
What would make your brand want to get out of bed in the morning? Is it a drive for cutting-edge technology, a passion for improving the lives of customers, or a vision for a greener world?
This business was started for a reason. Let’s make sure we don’t forget it.
Now that we know your ‘why’, let’s talk about your ‘how’.
What words would you use to describe your business? Personify it!
If you were to describe your business as a friend, what kind of person are they?
- Are they a powerhouse that’s driven to succeed?
- Are they warm and friendly?
- Are they better suited for a black-tie event or a backyard barbecue?
- What do they sound like?
- Do they use language that’s witty and fun or are they more professional and prefer to stick to business?
- Are they bright and colourful or do they stick to minimalistic neutrals?
Hopefully by this point, you’ve got an idea of the type of persona you see for your brand and how you want to present it to the world.
Who are they?
They’re out there. They are your customers, your competition, your cheerleaders and your critics. Who are they and what do they want?
Customers
Who is your ideal customer and what do you bring to the table that meets their needs? What are their values and priorities and how do they align with yours?
By clearly identifying who the target audience is, we can make sure we create messaging that resonates with them. Are they looking for something bold and engaging, or warm and comforting? Are they urban or rural? Do they prefer brick and mortar or a digital experience? If they’re online, on which platforms are we likely to find them?
It’s possible that you have multiple customers in mind, and that’s okay too. What is important is being aware of who we are trying to reach and what will pack the most punch?
Let’s say you sell light fixtures, you might have residential customers who are designing their home. They’re focused on finding something that reflects their design style and budget. Their needs might be different than that of an industrial client who wants to buy in bulk and whose focus is to keep energy costs down.
The messaging you would use for these two clients may be very different, but it’s important to know who we’re talking to.
Competition
Who is your competition? How are you different? Where are their strengths and in what ways can you learn from them?
Conducting a competitive analysis is a great way to gain insight. You might see competitors who have a great product but an inconsistent brand identity and who struggle to stand out. Alternatively, you might find a competitor who’s killing it online, they’ve got great visuals, a strong online presence and little customer retention due to a lack of quality.
If you look at the current landscape of your industry, where are customers congregating and where is there a lapse? How can you set yourself apart from competition while getting a slice of that pie?
Cheerleaders and Critics
Most of us will likely never own a Lamborghini, but we all have an opinion as to whether we would want to. Cheerleaders and critics are those who may not fall into our customer base but who are part of the community. They may also be neither cheering nor criticizing but I appreciate alliteration.
This category casts a wide net. It might include things like media outlets and how current events may affect your brand.
If you plan on having a strong online presence, that means just about anyone can virtually walk into your space. They might not be looking to buy, but how will your brand make them feel?
It’s important to be cognizant of this group as they can easily influence your target audience. We’ve all seen or heard of companies going viral for a clever campaign or being called out for content that was deemed out of touch or inauthentic.
Where do we fit it?
We’re here to help guide you on your business’ journey of self-discovery.
Fact-Finding Mission
We’ll work with you to answer all the questions asked above. We’ll conduct competitive analysis, market research and find out what your business goals are.
The Holy Grail
Once we’ve established where your business fits among your industry and community. We’ll develop a brand standards guideline. Here are some things to include in the guideline:
- Your brand’s mission, vision, values and history
- Logo usage guidelines, size colour combinations, sizing requirements and more. This includes letterhead, website logo and business card designs
- Typography: what fonts and type sizes to use online and in print
- Your marketing materials colour palette, including colour codes and examples
- Examples of imagery to use (icons, photos, symbols etc)
- Messaging style guide: key messages, tone of voice and communication style. This could include a list of key points to emphasize or words to stay away from
This brand strategy guideline is a work in progress and as we work together and gain further insight, we’ll work to refine it to best fit your needs.
Telling your story
It’s time to tell your story.
We’ve established a strategy to best reach your audience and meet desired goals. Now, we’ll develop campaigns or content strategies that let people know who you are and how you can improve their lives.
We’ll create campaigns to run on the most optimized platforms for your needs. Well track their successes and evolve as we learn what works best for your goals.
Some examples include:
- Social media campaigns
- Blog posts and newsletters
- Digital marketing & e-commerce
- Search, SEO & SEM
Measurable Success
What sets Starling Social apart is our desire to keep you in the loop. We provide clients with transparent reporting so they keep their fingers on the pulse and aren’t left with questions.
Our reports include:
- Wins: why we succeeded, what made this strategy work, how can this approach be applied to different areas
- Losses: What missed the mark, what factors contributed to this campaign not doing what we’d hoped
- Next steps: With all the data we’ve gathered, what are the next steps?
If you’re ready to learn more about our branding and visual strategy services, click here to book a free discovery call!
