Most brands don’t fail because the product was bad – they fail because no one knew what the brand stood for. The brands that last aren’t built by accident, and once you understand the process, you can build one too.
I have recently started as an multi-channel marketing apprentice and found brand identity a little overwhelming at first. After working on an in-house project, it became less daunting.
Take a look at the 4 steps you want to perfect;
Want help turning you idea into a brand but not sure where to start? Get in touch today and let’s bring your vision to life.
1.) Define your brand
Before you rush into the creation and launch of your brand, you need to know your vision and mission. A vision statement is a short explanation as to what your companies long-term goals are, and the impact it wants to have. Include emotion and dream big. This will link to your mission statement.
A mission statement is about what you do, who you do it for, how you do it and why it matters. This is an extension of your vision statement showing the steps to reach those goals. It puts words into action.
This step can seem boring or unimportant but it can help foster trust off potential customers and is a way for you to show passion and shout about your brand.
2.) Research
This is a crucial step that I personally think can make it less overwhelming. Research is about gathering ideas, inspiration and information about your target market. You can conduct research on many areas including; target audience, products you are launching and competitors.
A tool I have recently started to use, and think is super beneficial, is a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is a simple way recognise where your business stands in comparison to your competitors, where you are striving and where you can scale.
Take a look at this article explaining what a SWOT analysis is.
Research enables you to fully understand the good and bad things in the market you are in, identifying gaps in the market and opens your eyes to areas you can develop to differ from other businesses.
After concluding your findings you can adjust your mood board, by adding new ideas and streamlining to what suits your vision.
3.) Design
This is my favourite step and includes all things creative!
By bringing your vision, mission and research together, the design process is easier. You can use colour, typography and imagery to evoke emotions and portray your brand perfectly.
Design attributes include; logo, colour palette, fonts, design principles (contrast, hierarchy, repetition, balance etc), white space and imagery. If these points are clearly defined and compliment each other, they should be used consistently to create trust, increase your brand awareness and build recognition.
When you are happy with your design, actively seek feedback from a variety of people. What do people like, what stands out to them, how does it make them feel, what would they associate the designs with, what would change? This tests your ability to adapt and improve before the launch.
Feel like you need help with capturing your business through the camera? Get in touch so we can help you reach your audience online.
4.) Launch and evaluate
After working hard to perfect and bring your vision to life, this step should be exciting.
Publish your brand on all the platforms you have decided. Make sure they are consistent and in the correct aspect ratio for the respective platform. You can create campaigns across all channels to introduce a product, drive sales or grow your target audience.
To finish off, evaluate the success of your launch. Did it go to plan? What could you improve? And most importantly… what did your customers think?
These evaluations help develop your business and improve user experience, by meeting their needs, desires and perceptions.
Or contact us at team@phantomdigital.co.uk or 0151 271 5707
Written by Megan Pendleton- Megan has recently joined Phantom digital as a Multi-channel marketing apprentice and has worked collaboratively across the team to gain insight about tools and platforms used in the digital marketing field.
