Your brand is the feature that makes your product or service stand out in the industry. Branding requires more than just designing a logo — it’s a true representation of you and your company. It should invoke an emotional response and create business value. Follow these four best practices to get started, presented by Top New York Web Design.
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Target the Right Customers
What demographic could identify most with your company message? Find the people who are looking for what you sell and build your brand to make your business recognizable in your industry. One survey found that researching a target audience increases the success of social media marketing and search engine optimization. The first step in identifying your target audience is understanding the market. Market research recognizes:
- Shifts and trends in the market
- Location
- Demographics, including age, gender, and more
- Consumer buying habits, lifestyle, personality, and hobbies
- Persona
For business-to-business interactions, market research can target industries as well.
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Know Your Competition and Be Different
By understanding your competition, you can identify your advantages and minimize your risk. As a small business owner, you need to know if your market is already dominated by a large company with a great product and extensive resources.
Think about sharpening your skills with a business degree. You can learn to use market research and competitive analysis to find a niche in your industry. There are many online programs that allow you to take classes and get your diploma while building your business or tending to your family. As you search for programs, only consider accredited schools that offer competitive tuition rates.
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Create a Personality for Your Brand
Personality personifies your brand by giving it behavioral and emotional traits. People remember companies that are impactful and attractive. Once your business becomes trustworthy, you start getting repeat customers. Characteristics of a strong brand can include:
- Imaginative, for companies that want to build excitement and intrigue
- Charming, for high-end brands that want to give an air of sophistication
- Sincere, for those that want to appear genuine and honest
- Competent, for businesses that want a label of reliability and success
- Tough, for outdoorsy companies that want to attract customers that love nature
This is not a comprehensive list. You can create this element of your brand on your own because no one knows your business better than you. Think of the adjectives you use to describe your product or service and apply them to your brand’s personality.
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Establish Your Branding Guidelines
Once you have a personality, you need to establish guidelines. Without consistency, your brand cannot make a lasting impact. Your logo, color palette, tone, language, font styles and sizes, and imagery are all part of your identity. Whether outsourced or in-house, all marketing efforts should use the specific standards laid out in your branding guidelines. Reach out to professionals for assistance with logo design. Designers understand the importance of choosing the right color palette and font. They can create a look for your business that inspires loyalty.
Additionally, you need a website that accurately reflects your brand. Although there are templates available that can help you get a site up in an afternoon, there’s nothing like a website that’s professionally designed with your business in mind. Work with Top New York Web Design to put together a site that’s perfect for you.
A strong branding strategy gives your customers a sense of confidence in your business. It also improves employee pride and satisfaction. If your team understands your mission and stands behind it, they will be more present and productive in their jobs. Customers recognize the signs of a strong, cohesive team and want to be part of it.
