Jeff Bezos said once: “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”. We understood the depth of that thought and identified ourselves with it. Do you understand the importance of building a brand for your business? It is impossible to run campaigns without any brand awareness, the significance of this process, the core of this process, and similar knowledge?

We are quite sure you must have heard the process of building a brand is relevant for big companies only; but that is a misconception, it’s a myth. All companies, whether they have 2 or 200.000 employees, need to take care of building a brand, as competition is sharp and diverse so it is crucial to stand out in the right way. This applies to small businesses too as they can benefit more from this process.

Unfortunately, many small business owners don’t have a brand strategy or plan to grow a brand since the beginning, though the ones dealing with it are in a more favorable position in comparison to the ones who don’t dedicate time to strategic brand development. This is probably because they don’t clearly understand the distinction between a brand, and a logo. For this reason, we would like to clarify these doubts in a proper way, and we recommend reading this blog post.

Client: Could you design a brochure for us?

Designer: Sure, do you have everything organized, related to branding?

Client: Yes, I have a logo and I will send it to you.

Designer:…Get’s a headache…

What doesn’t count as building a brand?

Brand development is not limited to logo and color palette only. It takes more than a visual expression and colors, though many consider the opposite.

Brand should consist of a vision, previously done research with clearly defined goals as an outcome. Then everything could be presented via colors, typography, graphic elements, and creativity of a design team. When it comes to brand development, the logo comes at the very end of the whole process. 

Also, it would be good to emphasize the following: the point of building a brand is not brand awareness only, though it is one of the steps of this process, the brand should be recognized by consumers who will eventually become loyal and attached to a brand.

What makes a brand development?

Let’s first define a brand as a term and then the process of building a brand. A brand is a name, expression, design, symbol, or any other element presenting products or services, but it also makes it unique in comparison to any other brand.

The process of building a brand is actually a process of building a brand identity

It’s a process of building a business identity; and all its parts (logo, website, values, vision, mission). It is also something its creators should be proud of because they built a product, company, or service, unique and different from others. A good brand is able to communicate all info about the company, its products/services, and its purpose. Just as each person has its special characteristics, a brand has its characteristics, or importantly, its purpose. Its purpose is to explain what exclusive this brand has to offer in comparison to other brands. Consumers are also a valuable part of building a brand, as well as the reputation you have built among your users, collaborators, and business partners.

The process of building a brand is strategic

A bad brand was created without any reason or purpose, so its visual identity has no value or purpose as well – visual appearance without any strategy, any connection to the essence of a brand, because it doesn’t exist, because nobody hasn’t ever thought about it. How does the process of building a brand should look like? Believe it or not, a brand should be developed from research, gathered data so we create a narrative and the strategy for its creation, launching, and further development. The most important questions, anyone building a brand should know the answers to are: who are the consumers, what are they buying, what for, where, and how. This is the only way to build a brand that will continuously communicate the purpose of existence and be connected with its consumers. A brand cannot be based on aesthetics only, it should be a product of art transforming into science.

Building a brand requires consistency

Brand should be built based on consciousness and recognition, and both require consistency. The key to success for each brand is to have a set of rules and directions, that could be applicable in any situation. A brand is a company’s ID 24/7, available on all platforms, so it needs the same consistent approach and to address everyone in the same way. In other words, the same font, colors, messages shared – consistency at each place.

The process of building a brand is not a luxury, it’s a necessity!

If you buy any iPhone mobile device, Apple device, subscribe to Netflix on a monthly basis or you enter the shop of a popular brand such as Chanel, you will experience what it means to have a big budget for building a brand, what it means to invest in a brand and the way this looks like on a concrete example. Each detail shows dedication and great customer support. Communication is clear and consistent, and they treat the brand as the very heart of the company.

HOW MUCH ARE YOU FOCUSED ON YOUR BRAND?

This should be a strong message to everyone, especially the ones who are yet starting and fighting for their position on the market – consumers always recognize consistency, dedication, eagerness to provide the best possible service, and promotion of products/services on the market. Having a brand that includes all the mentioned above is a strong reason for everyone to find out about your brand, and to talk about your brand. Internally, a brand unites and creates a unique culture within the company and together with its employees gives a purpose to the company’s existence. Externally, a brand communicates about the best products/services a company can offer and the unique way of doing it. The truth is simple, the first impression is important and we should be focused on it.