A lot of the times when we think about a brand, we usually think of the how a business articulates what it wants to be known for, its image and the visual aspect of the business. However, brand identity goes beyond that; it is about what the market experiences when they buy your products or services and generally when they have any form of interaction with your business. The brand is the one consistent aspect of the business that continuously communicates what the business stands for, its purpose, meaning and desired impact in the market. A brand is the one thing that the market says about your business that is in line with how they experience it. Building a brand is like leaving an imprint that others can clearly recognise as yours. It is therefore an important part of communicating the true identity of the business.
So how do you go about building a brand that clearly communicates what your business is all about?
The first key thing is to determine the impact you would like your business to have in the market. This goes beyond the service or product the business will offer by clearly defining the impact the business intends to have in the market. This also refers to the type of value your business will add to its market and the one thing that the market will remember the business for. We usually recognize brands for the impact they’ve had on us through their offering. For example, the brand ‘’Nike’’ stands for victory, conquering, high achievement, achieving big dreams. Although the business designs and makes athletic shoes, the impact of their product goes way beyond comfortable shoes for sporting activities. The brand is inspirational and reminds people to go after their dreams and to ‘’just do it’’. Everyone that interacts with the business refers to Nike as a brand that pushes people to go after their goals with no hesitation. Therefore, the first key question that you need to ask yourself when you build your brand is; what impact would you like to have in the market? This is the critical step of building any brand. Once you have clearly defined the impact you would like to have in the market, you can then start working out how exactly you are going to do that and how you will communicate your intention to the market.
The second step is to clearly define the DNA of the business. This refers to the true identity of the business and it’s unique qualities or characteristics. In order to determine, your business’ DNA you would need to answer the following:
- What problem your business aims to solve in the market
- Why the business exists and what it aims to achieve in the market
- What the business wants to achieve for the owner/s to see it as successful
- What values the business lives by
- What makes the business different from its competitors
- What the business stands for
- What are the key objectives of the business
The third step involves determining what you need to do in the business to ensure that it has the impact you have articulated and that it stays true to its DNA. Because the brand is continuously communicating even when the business is not consciously marketing its products or service. It is important to be very aware of all the things that contribute to the message that is sent out to the market by the brand. Every single function in the business contributes to the development of the brand. From the simple things such as how the telephone is answered, where your business is located, the way you interact with your customers, how you treat your staff members, the culture of the business. It’s crucial to keep in mind that; the elements that build a brand go beyond the product or service. In order to determine what you need, to live up to the impact you desire as a business and to stay true to its DNA, you need to look at every single activity in the business and ensure all speaks to the ultimate impact you want to achieve in the market. This can start from the people you hire, the suppliers you have relationships with, the type of dialogue you use internally and externally, your interactions with all stakeholders etc. Every single interaction the business has with the market contributes to the brand formation. It is therefore necessary for you to be deliberate in all activities so that the true identity and desired impact can be known in the market.
It is very important to understand the look and feel of your logo, the colour palettes of your corporate identity, the marketing material you put out to the market is only one aspect of building a brand and it is the last step a business should take to determine its brand identity. Your brand is about the identity of your business, which is the DNA of the business representing what the business truly stands for and the impact it wants to have in the market. The brand is built from within, and it is not ‘’put on’’ but rather ‘’put out’’. So, if you want to build a brand that connects with your market and will remain in their minds; start by clearly defining the identity of the company and articulating the impact the business desires to have in the market. Brand building is a deliberate process which requires consistency and diligence from all the people within the business. It is not something that should be driven by the business owner alone, every single person and all activities in the business are contributing to the formation of your brand.
