With the online world making it really easy to create your own business, a lot of people have started an e-commerce brand. This means that there is more competition than ever before in various industries.
This is one of the reasons why people avoid starting a business: because of the competition. That being said, there are a lot of businesses around that share the same product; they just offer something slightly different.
If you are someone looking to create their own brand and promote a product that others also do, then it is worth following these simple steps to make your brand stand out.
Choose Your Audience
Depending on how generic your product is, one way to stand out is to target a different audience. You’ll notice that some of your competitors will target too many different people, never knowing who their real target audience is. But if you want to really maximise your profits, target a specific audience and master your product for them.
Know Your Competition
Although you may have found your target audience, there are still going to be some competitors. Try to learn more about them and what they are doing. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What can you capitalise on? That being said, there are many other areas that you need to review, such as how they package their product or deal with their customers. What is their website like?
Establish Your Brand’s Position In The Market
Establishing your brand’s position is another important area, especially when building a brand. What is your goal? Is your business just aiming to make money, or are you aiming to change the industry for your particular product or service? If you are just doing it to make money, you are probably going to struggle with how to make your brand stand out. At the end of the day, the customer must have a reason why they should buy your product or use your service.
Have A Brand Personality
The brands that stand out and make a name for themselves are those that have character. This is very important if you want your brand to be different to the rest and ensure that it is unique. This is what will attract your customers.
Consistency is key when it comes to your business/brand, and this includes your voice.
This includes your social media channels, emails, website and advertising. They should instantly know your brand just by the voice.
Create A Story
People tend to latch onto brands that have a story, as this can sometimes relate to the customer and therefore, it automatically creates that brand loyalty. There are a number of brands all over the world that have a story to tell, such as McDonald’s and Nike.
Now, a story like that of those brands is obviously going to be very hard, especially as they are quite unique in terms of the events that occurred. Nevertheless, think of the reason why you started your brand, think what makes it unique and the particular target audience you wish to reach. All of this can be part of your brand’s story that makes you unique compared to other brands.
Choosing A Brand Name
Picking a brand name is very difficult and finding one that hasn’t been used already is even harder. Not only are there hundreds of brands out there with unique names, but there are also many names that haven’t been chosen.
The issue with choosing a brand name is that you need to create one that is easily recognisable and will be remembered. That being said, a brand name can be created from anything. Nike, for example, created their brand name from the name of the winged goddess of victory in Greek mythology.
Create Your Slogan
Creating a slogan for your brand is another way for your customers to remember your brand, especially your potential customers. This slogan should be short, straight to the point and again, easy to remember. An example of some great brand slogans includes Nike’s “Just Do It”, L’Oreal’s “Because You’re Worth It”, and McDonald’s ‘I’m Lovin’ It”. All of these are very memorable.
Create The Logo and Brand Identity
Now that you have all of the important aspects of your brand, you need to establish the next bit, which is choosing the colours and brand logo. This will then need to remain consistent throughout the website, social media pages, emails, advertisements and anything else that is associated with your brand.
To establish your brand guidelines, there are a few things you need to establish;
- Tone of voice
- Colours
- Icons
- Imagery
- Style
- Text font/ Typography
There are many other things that you can include in your brand guidelines, but these are the basics that should remain consistent throughout.
To Conclude
Creating a brand isn’t easy, and there are a lot of things you need to consider before you jump into the deep end. That being said, you can always consider a rebrand if you are not happy with the direction that your brand is going in. Many companies have gone through a rebrand, with some being successful with it and others not so much.
If your brand creation isn’t going to plan, using a Manchester-based branding agency can make the difference for you. Their years of experience across multiple industries can be exactly what you need in terms of creativity.