What came first? The chicken or the egg?
I can’t say I really care. But I thought it would start the conversation- which comes first Branding or Marketing?
Some would say that’s easy! And as a marketing coach, I wish I could make the argument that marketing does but then I wouldn’t be doing my job. Or providing you with strong guidance on using strong marketing principles to grow your business.
So the answer is branding. But I’m not talking about fonts, colors, logos, or your business name.. You can worry about those things after you get rolling and making money. Though important, those are the easy things and those are part of your long game and really don’t move the needle in the very beginning as the other components of your branding. It will get you recognized as your audience becomes familiar with your content. I mean, can you tell me what font someone uses? You might provide colors or logo but it’s only after you’ve been following them for a while. Right.
So let’s talk on what you need to do to get started.
In a nutshell, branding is made up of key components– your core principles, mission statement, what inspires you, your why, your voice, and your sense of style.
Yeah, it goes way beyond colors, fonts, logos, and a name.
Determine your purpose and in other words YOUR WHY. This is as simple and as complicated as what’s your passion? What gets you up in the morning and keeps you at your desk?
Think of your brand as a person– your customers are going to identify with your brand (you). When working through this it will be composed of your beliefs, values, and your purpose (your why).
Be bold, daring, and innovative. You want to be authentic but also understand your uniqueness. What helps you stand out in a crowded market.
Define your mission statement. Make it simple as you don’t need to write a novel. Here are four basic questions to get you rolling.
- What do you do?
- How do you do it?
- Whom do you do it for?
- What value are you bringing?
Always have your brand top of mind.This is true whether you are thinking of your website, social media, podcast, products/services,customer service. Your brand should run throughout the journey of your customer. Be consistent. You don’t want them to feel like they are working with two different companies– one solving their main problems in the beginning and forgetting their name on the backend!
And, as you work through defining your brand always remember your target audience and ICA.
Here is a quick checklist to see if your brand is on point.
- Does it relate to your target market?
- Does it relay your uniqueness and what you are offering?
- Does it reflect on your promise / value proposition / values?
And finally, if you are still not convinced that you need to focus on your brand. Here is the value of creating a well defined multi-faceted brand and how it will kick-start your business or take you to that next level..
- Be seen in a noisey market
- Charge what you are worth
- Improve customer loyalty
- Differentiate your company
- Build trust and customer loyalty with your customers
- Speed up the buyer’s journey
- Become magnetic- attracting new leads
- Work with people who are aligned with your core values and beliefs
- Higher conversion rate on product / services
