Building a brand from scratch is a challenging task for even the most experienced professionals. It takes considerable time and effort to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered and you’re ready to stand before your audience and ask them for loyalty. Whether you’re launching a new business or want to update an existing brand, here are a few things to do as you start to brand (or rebrand) your business.

First, research your target audience and competitors. Before you make a single decision about your brand, you must understand the current market; who are your customers, and who are your competitors. Be sure to identify the audience members you could most easily sell to, the most established competitors in your space, and what your potential customers are talking about. All this information will inform what you and your brand should focus on and how you can position yourself as the better alternative to your competitors.

Second, find your brand focus and personality with your brand story. Your brand story brings your positioning to life, articulating your brand truths that answer the following questions: 

• What do you offer (what is the product/service)?
• Who is your product for (who is the target audience)?
• What makes your product different and better than competitors (key differentiator)? 
• Why should your audience care (what’s the benefit)?
• Why should the audience believe you?

Now that you’ve defined who you are, what you offer, and why your audience should care, it’s time to put pen (or word processor) to paper and write your positioning statement. Here’s a simplified template for you to follow: 

At {COMPANY}, we offer {PRODUCTSERVICE} to {VALUE PROPOSITION}.

Unlike {THE COMPETITOR/ALTERNATIVE}, we {KEY DIFFERENTIATOR} so our customers can (END BENEFIT} because (REASON TO BELIEVE}.

Next, chose the look and feel of your brand. Distinctive visual identities are more than a logo; they are a complete system made up of a logo and additional visual brand elements (like colors, typefaces, icons, photography styles, etc.). Working with a design professional is the best approach to ensuring a consistent and impactful visual identity (READ: Why Do I Need To Work With A Professional Designer?). If you don’t want to work with a professional designer, here is a resource to help you get inspired to create a stunning visual identity.

Building a brand strategy for a new business or refreshing an existing brand can be exciting, but it is also a lot of work to do it right. If you’re looking to build a brand that breaks through, let the dedicated professionals at OnPointPlus help ensure your success. Get in touch with us today and let us help you grow your business.