How To Develop a Memorable Brand in 6 Easy Steps
Welcome to my first blog post!
If you’re like me then you love short and to-the-point information. That’s exactly what I’ve got for you today.
You’re welcome.
Developing your brand means you need to spend some time thinking about what type of personality you want your business to exude. Much like a human, your brand needs to have its own identity in order to stand out from your competitors and be memorable for your patrons.
Here are 6 easy steps to follow when you’re in the process of refining your brand’s identity:
Define Your Target Audience: Who - specifically - do you want walking through your door? What are their interests, values, behaviors, pain points, etc.? If you sell products - what type of person do you want others to see using your stuff? If you sell services - what type of person needs your help to better their lives? The more specific you get, the faster you’ll be able to tailor your marketing to reach those groups.
Analyze Your Competition: What types of personalities do your competitors have? Are they all pretty much the same? What do you think is working for them? What do you think is NOT working for them? How can you be different?
Identify Your Values (And Actually Stand By Them): Recent studies have shown that a significant portion of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that align with their values. This is particularly true for younger generations who place a high value on transparency, social responsibility, and sustainability. So what does your company stand for?
Determine Your Brand’s Voice: How do you want your business to communicate with your target audience? Whether it’s through email, social media, commercials, or in-person interactions, what kind of tone do envision your brand embodying? Playful? Professional? Friendly? Adventurous?
Develop Your Brand’s Personality: Similar to your brand’s voice, what type of personality traits does your brand have? If your business was an actual human being, what type of traits would they have? Athletic? Charming? Innovative? Gryffindor? Libra?
Refine Your Brand’s Story: Storytelling is the oldest form of connection in human history. And the cool thing about it is that everyone has one to tell - even businesses. Why did you get started? How? What inspired you? When was the exact moment you decided to go all in?
Successful companies have followed these exact steps to develop iconic brands that we all know and love.
Take Coca-Cola, for example.
Define Your Target Audience: Coca-Cola's target audience happens to be everyone... who is looking for a refreshing beverage. See what they did there? They got specific even though their goal was to appeal to everyone.
Analyze Your Competition: Coca-Cola differentiates itself from its competitors by focusing on its heritage and emotional connection with consumers. Those polar bear commercials always make me smile.
Identify Your Values: They make it very clear from their advertising that they value happiness, inclusiveness, and heritage. That’s why those themes are always present in any type of marketing they do.
Determine Your Brand’s Voice: The three words that come to mind when I think of the way Coca-Cola conveys its messaging are: friendly, approachable, and upbeat.
Develop Your Brand’s Personality: And the three words I would use to describe the personality type of someone who communicates that way are: cheerful, optimistic, and inclusive.
Refine Your Brand’s Story: There’s nothing crazy or outstandingly fascinating about Coca-Cola’s story - but it IS memorable. In 1886 a pharmacist named John Pemberton created the drink and sold it for 5 cents a glass. From its birth, the drink was deemed “delicious and refreshing”, the very two things it is still known for to this day.
Take some time to deep dive into each of these steps and really think about your answers. At the end of it, you’ll have a clear understanding of your business’s brand that will help you effectively communicate with your patrons and differentiate yourself from others in your market.
Check out my Instagram for more tips or message me if you’d like to know how these steps can directly apply to your business!