A brand plays the role of setting you apart in the market. It puts your company in an authentic and recognized platform. It communicates much more than just value for money to the customers. Therefore, a structured brand strategy is necessary to build a strong brand for your company. This article proposes a step by step guide to build an effective brand strategy.
Let us begin by understanding the meaning of a brand strategy. A brand strategy is simply a set of goals to be achieved in order to build a strong brand for your business. You can learn to build a brand by adopting a systematic approach. The following points answer the question of ‘how to do branding’:
1. Determine an appropriate brand name
The first step in the process of ‘learning to build a brand’ is picking up the right name. Enlist all the names which have a chance of capturing the eye of your target audience. The name should be simple and crisp such that it is easily retained by the customers. Try not to pick complicated names. You can use Novanym to look for ideas for a good brand name. A very important point is to check for the trademark availability which you can check on Intellectual Property India.
2. Develop a strategic mission and vision statement
Another step to make an effective brand strategy is to develop mission and vision statements. A mission statement is concerned with a business’ mission towards success. Mission is the sole reason for existence of a company. Whereas, a vision statement is concerned with where a business organisation sees itself in future. Vision is basically ‘where do you see yourself in 50 years’.
You should develop a purposeful and catchy mission and vision statement. A feeling of seriousness with authenticity should be conveyed. Your mission statement should revolve around two things- customer satisfaction and internal organisation’s harmony. Whereas, the vision statement must be concerned with a productive and peaceful tomorrow. For example, the vision statement of Unisquare concepts is ‘to become a globally respected advertising agency known for its creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial abilities’. Its mission statement is ‘to be a one stop shop for all the creative, marketing and advertising needs for its clients and delivering them all the services that they require under a single square’.
3. Outline USP Of Brand
An effective brand strategy highlights the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of the brand. A USP is necessary to convey a feeling of uniqueness to the customers. It is essential in order to make the business stand out in the market. Develop a promising USP statement using your mission and vision statement. Your USP should aim at resolving the target market’s problems. Outlining the USP of a brand is one of the key aspects of ‘how to do branding’.
4. Catchy brand logo and tagline
Logo and tagline represent a company’s brand. Therefore, an adequate amount of efforts must be put into selecting the right logo and tagline. The basic motto of a brand logo and tagline is to convey the organisation’s purpose with the hope for a better tomorrow. Along with this, they represent a product’s benefits. A good brand logo and tagline will help the customer in recalling the business. A great logo and tagline will make the business’ brand shine, for example, Nike’s tagline- just do it. Having an effective brand strategy conveys a positive feeling to the customer and is easy to retain as well.
5. Brand identity guidelines – used for brochures,pamphlets and websites
Brand identity guidelines are concerned with the way your brand will appear in public. It should appear in a simple and convincing form. The text (if there is any) must be easy to understand. Try to use simple and vibrant colours. The overall brand identity should be such that it is easy to retain on the customer’s end. The brand identity guidelines are issued after designing a brand logo. They should be followed on a regular basis to ensure consistency.
All the above points can be used to implement an effective brand strategy. They provide the basic understanding of the concept behind ‘how to do branding’ or ‘learn to build a brand’. Put all the above points into practice with a tactical mindset for a successful and strong brand.
