Creating a brand for your business is often misunderstood. The first thing people naturally think of when it comes to creating a brand for their business is a logo. I’m here to tell you taht your brand is so much more than just a logo!
Don’t worry I’m not going to just say that super vague statement and leave you hanging and not give you the answer of what a brand really is! If you’ve been following along with Viim for the last several years you know that’s just not our style!
A brand is not simply a logo, colors, fonts, photography, videography, messaging, personality, language that you speak, your core values… I’m here to tell you it’s all of the above and so much more!
In short, your brand is the summary in both visual and messaging of the perception consumers, or your community, has about your business. It is the perception of what you do, how you do it, and even why. What creating a brand for your company does for you is help YOU control that perception.
Now before we go any further, this is the moment that I tell you if you don’t have a brand (or if you think you don’t have a brand), you sure do have a perception. When companies don’t solidify or take control of their own branding, their community creates one for them. Is that always good? Is that always bad?
Just like if we go back to high school days, bear with me – I know this might bring up some traumatic moments for you! But if we go back to any moment in time where others are making judgments or determining what they think we are or aren’t – that doesn’t feel good, right?
This is the same mentality that thriving businesses keep in mind when they put anything about their company out into the world. Just so you know, we call that ‘marketing’. This is a really good segue into what the difference is between branding and marketing. Because I probably just confused you a little bit maybe, huh? Don’t worry I got you.
Branding, as mentioned above, is the summary of what you do, how you do it, and why. This is conveyed through all of your brand elements. There are 3 major objectives of branding (that aren’t marketing).
Your marketing is the vehicle that you use to get your brand in front of your potential consumers and community.
I will go into this deeper in another post. What I mean by ‘vehicles,’ are what other companies might call marketing channels, or marketing verticals. For example some really common marketing vehicles at the moment are:
Now that we flushed out what a brand is and isn’t and where your brand will be used, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of how you go about creating one.
First of all, don’t think that I’m here to tell you that my way is the absolute way to create a brand. There are 1000 ways to skin a cat, (why is that an expression? Gross!) But you get what I’m saying.
How we at Viim help businesses create a brand starts the same way, every time. We start all of our clients; whether we’re working with you on a one-to-one level or you’re using some of our self-guided tools to discover your brand on your own.
We start everyone with our brand identity discovery exercises. Typically these exercises take the better part of a full day or more. These exercises help to:
These are the elements that we use to develop the visuals and the messaging of your brand.
If you’re anything like me, a step-by-step guide would be helpful. Don’t worry I got you there too! Below are some links that can get you started right away, and better yet – the exact workbook that I use with my 1-to-1 clients!
I also know that a little bit of help along the way or even some accountability to get me there is helpful too. So feel free to book some time with me after you complete your Brand Identity Self-Discovery workbook and exercises and we can discuss any questions you might have and how to take it to the next step!
Paired next to my irrational fear that I’d end up 16 & pregnant (thanks MTV)… I’ve always had this fear that I’d end up in
Let’s talk about fonts – they are the spirit that gives life to a design, giving it character, style, and personality. Sadly, not all fonts
Our very own Steph Hilfer recently spoke with Smart Real Estate Coach’s Chris Prefontaine about personal branding. It’s not every day you get invited to
I was so excited to be a guest on the Goals to Results podcast with host Dennis Riley! The episode is now available! Check it
