Startup branding is all about perfecting the value your company offers to investors and targeted customers. Correct branding shows professionalism. It helps you connect with customers and set yourself apart from the competition.
Gain control of your brand
Essentially, your brand is the sum of all interactions with your company, products and services. It’s a perceived image, derived from the story told by each of these interactions, either online or face to face, visually or via content. Whatever a customer thinks about your company and product becomes part of your brand in that customer’s mind. It’s not just about products and features anymore.
Branding is the process of creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. It is designed to help target audience quickly identify products and companies, clarify what a specific brand stands for and provide a reason to prefer a specific brand over the competition’s.
How do you choose a mobile phone? most mobile phones have more or less the same feature list, which is probably more than we’ll ever need. The decision we make is many times unrelated to features. Sometimes it is about whether I am an ios (Apple) person of android person. Sometime it is an emotional connection to the brand (apple for example). Sometimes it’s because of a perceived value about the brand, such as innovative, environmental etc.
People make purchasing decisions based on a perceived brand’s image. It’s not just about products and features anymore. That’s why quality branding takes your product to a whole new level.
The startup branding process
Building a new brand is an exciting process. Your startup is about to break into the market with a great product/app/service and you need to capture your target audience attention. In order to do so, you must have an accurate message that “shouts” the unique value proposition you offer your target audience, and back it up by relevant and consistent visuals. That’s the target of the branding process that includes:
- Identifying the target audience – “Everyone” is never a good answer. You need to be specific – who exactly you are trying to reach? Your message will be tailored to meet their exact need.
- Pinpointing the true value of your product to the target audience – Why what you do is so important for your audience or simply put, why should they care. It includes crafting a brand/product message that connects with target customers on an emotional Level.
- Differentiating your product from competitions’ – You’re rarely alone out there. Competition can be in the form of another company or an internal threat within the organization. You need clear differentiation, so customers will understand why you are the best choice for them.
- Creating a brand identity that will reflect your brand. It is a rare opportunity to make a bold statement that stands out.
Now it’s time to integrate your brand identity into every aspect of your business.
Good branding tools boost sales
” 77% of B2B marketing leaders say branding is critical to growth” (Circle Research’s B2B Branding Research White Paper)
Every interaction sends a message. It’s important to ensure that the message is relevant and consistent throughout every encounter with consumers. Sending consistent, targeted messages will help your potential customers understand exactly who you are and what you can do for them. You’ll be distinctively recognized, providing a decision-making-shortcut, especially when considering similar products.
Successful branding yields benefits such as increased customer loyalty, an improved image, and a relatable identity. According to Lucidpress, consistently presented brands are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience brand visibility. On average, revenue increase of 23% is attributed to always presenting the brand consistently.
On the other hand, the greatest negative impact of inconsistent brand usage is the creation of confusion in the market.
Your brand identity shows how much you care
“It is not the number of interactions a buyer has with your brand, but the quality and relatability of the interaction.” (Harvard Business Review).
Marketing is all about influencing the behavior of customers. Communicating a brand with an appealing personality and an emotional promise is far more effective.
Furthermore, good branding shows that you care enough to introduce a professional image. That you understand your target audience and what they need. That you are knowledgeable enough to know what makes you unique in your market.
Not just for big brands
Whether you like or not, a perception about your company exists. You can however choose to manage it instead of dragging behind it. Branding process helps companies establish their own identity. It is especially crucial to startups that are preparing for market introduction. At this stage they must be ready with a sharp message that sets them apart and truly shows value to their customers.
Large brands understand the value of branding and invest millions of dollars in creating and maintain their brand. Small brands and startups can now enjoy the benefits of a speed branding process without huge spending.
Learn more about speed branding.
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