One of the most difficult aspects of starting a business is brand awareness – getting people to know who you are and what makes you unique.
The key to success goes beyond just having a great product or service. People want to know who you are as a company and what your brand represents before they buy from you.
Developing an authentic look for your brand can seem like an overwhelming task, but in this article, we break the process down into simple steps that will help you along the way.
Authenticity is a key ingredient in successful branding and it is synonymous with honesty. Honesty is extremely important and should work hand in hand with developing an authentic look for your brand.
Have integrity when presenting what you bring to the table. Be as enthusiastic as possible; you’ve got to believe in your brand before your audience will believe in it too. All of these elements will build your brand’s authority to entice people about your products or services.
Below, we have outlined some simple steps you can take that will aid in developing an authentic look for your brand.
Find your niche.
Know your target market. You can save a lot of time, energy, and money on wasted efforts if you thoroughly understand who your target market is and how to reach them. Check out this Forbes article for steps to find your niche.
Research your brand/company name – and register it.
It’s important that your brand name is unique to you and it’s connected to what you are offering. Do your research to understand which brand names have the best recall in your market. Doing a survey on your family, friends and acquaintances is a great starting point.
Make sure your domain name is the same or similar to your brand/company name.
Keeping your domain name consistent with your brand/company helps with brand recall.
Create a great logo.
A logo that stands out will build into the authentic nature of your brand. Create a couple of design options and survey those around you to understand what will catch your audience’s attention
Make sure your web or e-commerce site is attractive and easy to navigate.
Not all of your clients would be Internet savvy. Having a user-friendly site will help to expand your audience.
Be consistent in your messaging, regardless of the channel.
Consistency is the key. Have uniform content on all your ads that is clear and concise. Regardless of where or how they see you, consumers need to be able to recognize your brand/company immediately.
Establish yourself as an expert online.
Join communities. Build rapport. As the saying goes, “Patience is a virtue”- you need to build earn their trust. Make them interested at who you are and the rest will follow.
Blog and use social media.
Blogging allows you to express your brand on a whole new level. It adds interest to viewers and traffic to your website. Social media is another great tool to display your authenticity.
Choose networks that support your brand image. Make them interesting by providing valuable and shareable content. Leverage influencers; tag them on your posts or email them to have a more intimate and personal touch.
Include/publish reviews on your website.
Publishing reviews add to your legitimacy and convincing power.
Actively promote your brand offline.
Building your brand doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve built your brand online, it is time to promote offline. Create unique flyers, stickers and other promotional material that will appeal to your target audience to promote and build a presence for your brand.
For additional tips on developing an authentic look for your brand, check out Sandy’s podcast “Life in Focus with Sandy Grigsby” by clicking here.
If you want to book a photo shoot experience with Sandy and our team at Brio Five, book a call with Sandy. We create a day all about you, so you can feel pampered and absolutely beautiful.