how to build a powerful brand€¦ · the brand identity is the styles, fonts and colours that your...

how to build a powerful brand

A powerful logo and brand identity is vital for any company. It is the first thing your customers see, and what they will come to remember you by.

When it comes to your image, everything you do within your company, and the services you provide should exude the goals of your business and how you want to be perceived.

This workbook will guide you through some important steps to consider when refreshing your brand to ensure you get all the foundations right to make sure your brand really works for you.

So put the kettle on, get comfortable and get scribbling!

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how powerful is your brand identity?

A strong brand will have clear values, a well defined brand promise and have a consistent message across everything they do.

Really have a think about what it is your organisation does, what it is you want it to do and who you want it to become.

What problems do you solve for your customers, and how do you do it differently from your competitors?

With all of this information you can form the foundations of your brand so you can clearly communicate to your audience why they should buy from you.

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let’s talk about you

Once you know what kind of business you want to become, it’s important to create a strategy to get there.

Your brand is more than just the logo and the way it looks - it is a compilation of everything your company does, from the way you answer the phone, to the way you market yourself.

So what’s important to you about the way your business operates? How would you like your staff to answer the phone?

Who are your target customers, and what motivates their purchase? What do your existing customers think of your brand currently?

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who are your customers?

In order to move forward with your brand, it’s important to assess where you are now. By taking the time to research your customers and your competitors, you can make sure the message you are putting out there is the right one, and discover the opportunities you may be missing.

Think about your competitors, do you know who they are? What do they do well? What do they do badly?

What makes you different to them and why? Why did your existing customers choose you over them?

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who are you up against?

Jeff Bezos perfectly quoted “your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room”.

What personality do you want your brand to have? How do you want customers to recognise you? Friendly, trustworthy, approachable, knowledgeable?

Don’t be afraid to add personality to your brand! Be unique, bold and innovative, but most of all be consistent.

Make sure your personality works for your industry and your target audience - what works best for you? Create a list of buzzwords that encompasses your brand.

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what do you want to be known for?

Every time you make contact with a customer, whether that be through a leaflet, a service representative, an app, a website, these are all touchpoints. Even down to someone driving past your office and seeing your signage.

Regardless of the medium these applications need to work in harmony. Which is why it’s important to consider the different ways you may plan to target your customers early on.

Have a think about how you will reach your customers. The most common different touchpoints are:• Social media• Websites• Mobile/Apps• Business Cards and correspondence• Collateral• Signage• Packaging• Advertising• Uniforms

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how will you reach your customers?

Once you have your brand values and personality in place, use this to develop your brand. Take a look at your company name, is it memorable, easy to say, does it have meaning? Does it allow growth in the future?

Look at your tagline, does it tell your customers what you do in a simple way?

Is it unique? How does it differentiate you from a competitor? Does it evoke an emotional response from your customers?

Make sure your name and company tagline all fit with your ideal values and personality and give a clear, consistent message.

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developing your brand

The brand identity is the styles, fonts and colours that your customers will come to recognise.

Use colour to evoke emotional connections with your customers. We recommend reading up on colour psychology, as different colours can have different meanings for many industries.

Fonts and textures will also add another level of depth to your identity and add more personality to the brand. Make sure they are consistent with your values though!

Why not consider making a mood board of all of the things you like that encompass your brand? Colours, textures, imagery anything you like to help visualise your style.

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how will it look?

YOUR BRAND MOOD BOARD


Once you have created the identity and the strategy all that is left is to make sure you deliver on your brand promise!

For example, if you have told your customers you will always offer the best prices? Make sure you do! Told them you are available 24 hours a day? Make sure you are! By sticking to your values and delivering on your promises you will earn your customers trust and loyalty.

There are no ‘off days’ in business. Every time you answer the phone or deal with a customer you must ensure you reinforce your brand messages. One bad experience with a customer is usually enough to put them off for good, so don’t let it slip as you only get one chance at a first impression.

Consider creating a set of brand guidelines which outlines everything you should follow moving forward and share this with everyone in your business to ensure every member of staff is singing from the same hymn book.

And finally, your new brand is worth celebrating! Consider a launch event to show off your new brand to all of your customers, staff and stakeholders, tell them why you have rebranded, and what that means for them moving forward.

And if you continue as you mean to go on, sit down and have a glass of bubbly to celebrate the exciting future ahead!


deliver your promise

Your businesses success is as important to us as it is to you, which is why we pride ourselves on our customer relationships. When we create a brand for you, we can hand craft every element by getting to know you and your business, so that we can give you a logo that you and your customers will fall in love with.

Our affordable branding packages can be tailored just for you, so whether you just want to revitalise your existing logo design, create a new brand for a new business, reach

new customers with a new website design, or make sure all of your printed media looks consistent then our stylists at Hyphen can help.

We offer a free one hour branding advice workshop to all customers, where we can get to know you, your customers and what goals you are trying to achieve. From there, with our extensive knowledge, we can provide you with some creative options to help you succeed. Call us on 0116 281 5731 to book your workshop now.


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