When thinking of brands we tend to focus on the multinational companies by default. However, it’s important to remember, no matter what size your business is, building a lasting brand is the most important thing you can do for your business. This article aims to show that building a lasting brand requires a steady and consistent effort from you and your team.
Visual
The building blocks of your brand start with your logo (and slogan if you choose). It’s easy to go for the first logo you like, but its important to give a lot of thought to this. Your logo is what defines your brand in an image. It needs to portray the message you want your customers to consciously and subconsciously understand. Take a look at the images below of Amazon and FedEx.
(Image courtesy of AdWeek)
Granted all companies won’t have hidden messages, but big brands will go through many iterations and research before their logo is finalised. You may not have the resources of these brands but a little research yourself can go a long way. Don’t forget to do a little research colours – different colours have been known to evoke varying sentiments and emotions in people, so backing a good icon with a suitable colour palette is essential too.
Communication
It may be easy to forget, but every word, document, and any form of communication your customer has with your team is maintaining the brand. Hence it is important to focus on training your team on how to respond to specific queries / how to handle any customer-facing tasks. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to shop at high-end boutiques, you’ll notice the staff will always come around and hand your product to you rather than over the counter. It’s the same with Apple, who goes as far as training their staff on using and abstaining from specific words due to how they may be portrayed.
These things may seem small but send out a strong message, a lot of the times you may not register it but they are affecting you psychologically. It means you will need to spend a lot of time training your team in understanding the message you wish to give your customers, be it over the phone, email or in a person.
More Than a Business
There’s no denying that a business is a business and customers understand this. To go a step further in building a lasting brand its important to identify what your values and mission are. Your mission can be conveyed in a mission statement, normally a succinct message describing why you do what you do. Be sure to have a good think on this, the communication and impression you want to create through your communication will aim to work towards this mission.
Lastly, I feel this is the most important — having company values. Company values allow you to share the things your company believes in. This can be equal pay for women, developing your team and more. Thinking about your values is a time to reflect on what’s important to you and your business, it also shows your customers that you have a deeper sense of concern and responsibility about things that matter. You’ll find your customers will align with your business if they share similar values to yours.
It is easy to adopt certain policies but difficult to maintain the momentum. With your brand, it is something that should be lived and breathed in every action by you and your team. From the start of your logo design, to communication and finally your values, every element must be carefully thought through and embedded in all aspects of your business to ensure a long-lasting brand.
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