Think Outside of the Box: 5 Tips for Branding Your Company

There’s no secret formula for branding that works 100% of the time for every single company. If there was, everyone would be following it and creating a unique brand would be a piece of cake! Unfortunately, branding isn’t as simple as 1-2-3. But with an out-of-the-box approach and meticulous research, you can put yourself ahead of your competition. Below are some ideas to point you in the right direction:

• Do Your Research. Pretend you know absolutely nothing about the industry and research, research, research. Find out everything you can: get to know your competition, investigate the market you are targeting and research industry trends. You’ll be surprised at the information you find, when you don’t get caught up in thinking you already know everything about the market.
• Get to Know Your Demographic (in Person). Don’t rely solely on statistics and online demographic briefs. Spend time talking to your demographic and asking them questions. You’ll be surprised what you find out! We recently worked with a client that was trying to market to tween girls, we assumed we had the market cornered based on our online research. But when we sat down and interviewed just 10 tweens, their perspectives were totally different from what we had assumed. We changed our brand from there and were impressed by how effective that simple shift was.
• Don’t Separate Your Graphics and Messaging. A lot of people hire a graphic designer to create their logo and a content writer to create their messaging. This is a rookie mistake. The graphic brand and messaging go hand in hand, and they need to be in line with each other. Find an expert who can help you tackle both at once to ensure continuity and success.
• Implement Your Brand In Everything You Do. Once your brand is in place, don’t limit it to just your logo, website and marketing materials. Your brand is what defines you and should be a part of everything you do: from the way customers service representatives speak with customers, to the way your sales team sells your products/services. A successful brand is a living, breathing entity that defines your company—it shouldn’t be limited to the web or paper.
• Be Willing to Rebrand. Over time you will receive feedback on your brand and you need to be willing to change/adjust based on this information. Although you want your brand to be consistent, if you aren’t willing to change and adjust, you won’t stay relevant. Change for the sake of change doesn’t make sense, but if multiple customers are telling you your logo color is giving them a headache, listen and be opening to adjusting.
• There isn’t a formula for building a successful brand, but if you are able to do your research, think outside the box and stay flexible, you’ll be awed at the results.