What is a Brand? 

A brand is the representation of a company or an individual when you’re not in the room.

A brand represents who we are and what we bring to the world. 

Traditionally when we think about brands we think of companies and logos, and traditional print and television advertising media. But brands, branding, and brand identity can be associated with an individual as much as a corporation, and this is especially true in today’s age of social media influencers and solo entrepreneurs. 

A brand is the impression clients have when they think about you, or your company, and what you do. It is a contractual relationship between you and the customer. A brand is not only an image, it is also a voice and a feeling. A brand should be thought of as a friend who you can trust.

Usually, a new start-up business will consider their brand logo before thinking long and hard about what they are offering the community and building a slogan, or statement of intent that underpins their brand’s identity, mission, and philosophy first. It might be a better strategy to first identify your audience and figure out what you intend to do for them before focusing on colours and images.    

If you follow the 80/20 Rule then your visuals should only be about 20% of your overall brand with the other 80% being the content of your story – your mission and intent. 

Whether you choose to work with a brand expert such as Rivyl when creating a brand there are a few considerations to take into account. 

Why – Why are you in business? Why do you do what you do? Why do you offer what others don’t?

Value – Moving on from the above. What do you offer and what makes it unique? Why is what you do different than someone who does the same thing? What value do you bring to the market and what makes you better than the rest of the competition? What value do you bring to the marketplace?

Voice – Is your voice unique and stable? What makes your voice different? Is your voice quirky? Down to earth? IS it a reassuring voice? Does it represent adventure?

Visual Identity – Your logo and your slogan. Does it represent the ethos of the company? Is it striking and stands out? Is it readable as a thumbnail on a computer or telephone screen?

Audience – Who is it for? Who do you intend to serve and what do they need from you? What problems do they face? How do you intend to solve these problems?

Messaging – What is your content? How do you intend to reach your audience?

Taking a strategic approach to your brand is crucial to delivering your ultimate branding objectives. When you know the targeted goals and aspirations of your business or individual branding objective, in addition to knowing what your customers want and need, then that’s where the success is. 

Spend time working through your strategy first taking into account each of the points mentioned above. Even if it feels like a lot to digest, the best strategy is to start with digestible tasks and follow it through one at a time until you have a clear picture of who your business is, who your audience is, why they need you, and what you can do to reassure them that you are the person help them achieve their goals. 

Once you have that figured out the rest should organically fall into place.