What is a brand? And why do you need one?

So what is a brand? A name? A logo?

Well, your name and logo are just a part of your brand identity but your actual brand goes a lot deeper. You may think of certain names as being “a brand”. And in a few cases that is kind of true - but that is because when you hear the name of those brands you get a feeling of what that brand means to you - what you would expect from them and how they make you feel.

Most often when we hear the term ‘a brand’ we think of the biggies - Coca Cola, Cadburys, Nike… but as a small business your brand is no less important to you than it is to these giants.

Your brand is all about the impression you make. It’s how you make people feel. And it’s about you getting across how they would feel if they bought from you or worked with you. People often say that your brand is ‘what people say about you when you’re not in the room’. And you want people to be saying the right things don’t you?

At the centre of your brand are your brand values. What do you stand for? What is important to you? How do you do business? Successful brands have a core set of brand values that they live by. When you spend time thinking about what your brand values are and what you and your business are all about you can then ensure that every single thing you say and do aligns with your brand. Once that happens you will be in the right place to build a brand that just gets stronger and stronger.

You have to know what your brand is all about. If you don’t know then how can you expect your audience to know? Why should they choose you over someone else doing the same thing? Well they’ll choose you because of the way you do it and how you do it. Your values will align with the values of your audience and they will be drawn to you. And speaking of your audience, as part of your brand strategy you need to know who you are trying to attract. Because if you don’t know who you are speaking to then how can you appeal to them?

Over the last year or so I have joined a number of business networking groups on social media. There are always people looking for logos. Just logos. They’ve started a business and they need a logo. Everyone wants a logo. Everyone ‘needs’ a logo to get started. And yes, you are going to need a brand identity to get your business out there. But it is possible to start a business without the visuals - as long as you understand your brand.

If you think about it, you could have a new business set up a social media page. No logo. They set up on the channel where they know their ideal clients are. They use language which connects with their audience. They talk about things their audience wants to hear about. They use imagery and colours that reflect their brand values. They offer a product or service that their audience needs and they get across how they are going to solve your problems or make your life a whole lot better once you buy from them. You start to follow and you warm to them. You notice more and more things they say appeals to you. There’s still no actual logo. This is their brand at work.

And this is why as a small business your brand is so important. I work with mums who for many reasons set up their own businesses to suit their lifestyles. And many of these women are offering the same products or services as you. You have got to stand out and it is your brand that is going to help you do that.

Once you have your brand values set out then every single thing that comes after should align. Everybody gets hung up on what their brand is going to look like. Yes, this is important, but you have to have the foundations in place first to make the right decisions when creating your brand identity. Everything you create and put out to the world should be done with your brand in mind. From the places you are visible and advertise, to the words you put in a post and the fonts that are used - it should all have your brand values running through it.

So I’m not saying you don’t need a logo, I’m saying you need to think about your brand first and then your VISUAL IDENTITY (INCLUDING YOUR LOGO) will come from that.

If you’d like to have a chat about how I can help you build your brand identity the right way then get in touch to arrange a free call.