Top Tips for Building a Memorable Brand

If you are thinking about starting, or have already embarked on the journey of creating and running your very own business, then one of the most important aspects that you will want to research, and focus on building is your business’s brand. Your brand is what will help set your business apart from all of the competition you face, and should enable it to grow much faster than if you were to not put any effort into creating a brand for yourself. So, if this is something that you are passionate about, and want to learn more about, here are several top tips to help you build a memorable brand.

What is a brand?

Some people will assume that owning a business and owning a brand are the same thing. However, there are several key differences that you should be aware of, that make quite a bit of difference in the business world. If you simply own a business that sells coffee for example, then yes you would have the infrastructure to acquire and re-sell coffee products to customers, but that would ultimately be it. If you owned a brand on the other hand, then there would be a story behind the coffee you sell, there would be values, a recognisable logo, and business colours, and your customers would have a much more intimate connection to you and your business. These connections are important when it comes to customer loyalty and trust. In short, you want to find ways to create a way of separating and distinguishing your business from your competition.

What are the benefits of creating a brand?

When you buy products or services from a business, it can sometimes feel like you are purchasing goods from a faceless corporation. This is a feeling that will not entice many people to return or stay loyal. However, if you find a brand that provides you with the same products or services for the same price, and quality, you will be much more likely to revisit the brand, over the corporation. This is because with branding you can put across more than just information regarding your products and services, you are able to convey a message and show what your values are, as well as express your personality. All of this will benefit your brand hugely by creating a bond between you and your customers, with the bonus of attracting new ones.

Top tips on building a memorable brand

There are many factors and options to consider or implement when you are building a memorable brand. To help you get started, here are several top tips, and ideas for you to utilise.

Think about your logo and brand colours

Possibly one of the most important parts of creating a memorable brand is your brand logo, design, and colours. If somebody was to ask you to think about the company Coca Cola for example, you would automatically think of the colour red, and easily be able to picture the font that they use for their name, as well as the image of Father Christmas or the large Coca Cola lorry that they use in their Christmas TV adverts. This is all a part of their brand and a look that they have worked very hard on creating. Another example of the importance, and simplicity of branding is if someone showed you a yellow M on a red background, most people would recognise, or think of McDonalds. This goes to show that you do not need an overly complicated colour scheme, or logo, you just need the right one and to work on promoting it over time. When your brand is first starting out, and you have decided on your brand logo and colours, one way you can start to boost your brand awareness is by promoting yourself locally through flyers, business cards, banners, or posters. To do this you will want to find a reliable, and high quality online printer service, so as to create a variety of products that showcase your brand. 

Ensure you are visible and interactive online

To become memorable, you want to be seen often by your potential, and current customers, or clients. A great tool to utilise for this is any social media platform. It doesn’t matter whether you use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Pinterest, as all of these platforms have the ability for you to post content, updates, and information about your brand, with the added bonus of being able to interact personally with anyone who may wish to communicate with you via these channels. Through being active online, your customers, and potential customers will see you a lot more, and therefore you will likely be in the front of their minds when they are thinking about purchasing the product or service that you provide. You need to be careful though that your online activity is optimally set, and that you are not just posting for the sake of it as this can be seen as spammy, and annoying. Instead carefully plan out your weeks, or month’s social media content, and then set aside some time to interact with those who may have questions or feedback.

Create and stick to your core values

As a brand, you will want to create, and publicly display what your core values are to your customer base. This could be done in the form of a slogan, or even a paragraph in your “about me” section on your website, or social media page. These values will help your customers paint a better picture of who you are, and what your brand stands for. This helps a lot if your values are something that resonates with the people who you are selling to, especially if they are linked to the products or services too. Once you have your core values sorted, you will need to ensure that you stick to them, and actively show that you mean what you say. This will instil trust and loyalty into those who purchase your goods, or services, and often leads to a positive word-of-mouth promotion.

Let your personality shine through

Something that is missing from many businesses, and even brands, is the existence of its personality. If you let your personality seep into your brand, then you will provide a subconscious level of charm and warmth to your business. You want to think about the customer experience when they shop with you, whether it is all done online, or in person. You can weave your personality into your brand through the way you word your descriptions, make your products, provide your services, or interact with your customers. Positive experiences will build memorable interactions for your customers, leading them to want to return over and over.

Mistakes to avoid when building a brand

When attempting to create a memorable brand, you want to make sure that you are becoming memorable for all the right reasons, and not the wrong ones. Here are several mistakes to avoid when creating a brand.

Don’t sacrifice quantity over quality

Often a mistake that many companies tend to make when trying to boost, or increase their profits, is to sacrifice the quality of their product or service, for quantity. While this may work in some cases, it generally only happens in the short term, and can actually damage your reputation and brand in the long term. Customers are not stupid and will quickly realise that what they are paying for is not that of the same quality that they used to get, and will in most cases look for a better alternative. This can lead to your brand becoming memorable for all the wrong reasons. So, make sure that you put the happiness, and experiences of your customers and clients before that of your profits.

Don’t copy your competitors

While it is a good idea to conduct research on your competitors and analyse how they are navigating the market, or portraying themselves, it is important that you do not copy them exactly. If you do this then you may end up blending into the sea of businesses that all look, and act the same, making it harder for your potential customer base to distinguish you from the competition. While it is okay to draw inspiration from other brands, make sure that you try and keep yourself as original as possible.

Don’t change your branding too often

Brands will sometimes slightly alter the way they look, the colours they use, or in some drastic cases, completely rebrand themselves. While this is not technically a bad thing to do, and in some cases can actually be a positive move, you should ensure that it is not something that you are doing regularly. If you do, then this could end up confusing your customers as they may not recognise you as the brand they once used previously. Instead, try to stay consistent, and if you have some changes that you wish to make to your branding, make sure they are subtle or infrequent changes.

There are of course many other factors to consider when creating a memorable brand, however, if you are looking for some ways in which you can level up your small business, then why not try out some of these top tips?