If you’re a startup entrepreneur, you’re probably all well aware just how important branding is to your business. Still, even knowing that branding is something your company definitely has to have, that doesn’t make it an any easier to actually develop your voice and then keep it as a core part of who you are. Indeed, branding your company will require significant thought and resources to get underway, and it’s important you get it right – if it’s not strong enough, it’s liable to fall by the wayside, and it’s never convenient to have to change your message once you’ve already launched.
Source: Pexels.com
Finding Your Voice
You probably already have an idea of what your startup should look like, but that doesn’t always make it easy to really put your company into a framework that naturally radiates these messages. However, the way you want your company to look is your key to branding. If you’re struggling to determine your branding, a great bit of advice is to think of your company as a person. What do they believe in, what do they strive for? If they were given a platform at a corporate dinner party, what is the message they would deliver? Once you have these answered, you can begin crafting the look and sound of your company.
Radiating the Message
Once you’ve settled on a message, it should radiate through everything you do. It doesn’t have to always be put front and centre of what you’re doing, but everything to do with your company should be consistent with your branding, including your office space and logo. If you’re trying to push things forward but have an office that screams ‘traditional’, or trying to be a serious company with a lax, casual atmosphere, your branding and the fundamentals of your company will not be aligned. With every decision, ask yourself, ‘ would a company who believes in [belief] do [action]?’ to help yourself stay on track.
Putting it on Online
The internet will be your biggest tool when it comes to branding. You’re able to fully curate everything that your audience learns about your company through social media and your website. Remember, your branding will rely on others to really become solidified. For example, if you’re a company trying to improve the world’s environment, then you could share or write a blog on the great environmental work being done by others. It’s about surrounding yourself in the world you want to project, all the while managing to retain your own voice.
Staying True
The reason it’s crucial to think hard about your branding is because you’ll have to stay true to it. You are committed to practicing what you preach up until the point when you consciously decide to take your company in a new direction. If you gain followers because they believe in what you’re doing but then act in ways inconsistent with what you say you’ll do, you’ll lose your loyal customers – and there’s no guarantee that there’ll be other customers in line to take their place, either.
