A company’s branding and brand voice are integral to how it differentiates itself in the marketplace and, ultimately, how successful it will be. There’s very little that cements credibility and draws in new customers like a solid brand. Creating a powerful brand takes a lot of strategic thinking. These eight questions will get you on the right track as a business owner, and allow you to create a compelling and potent brand that can help you become an industry leader.
1. What Message Are We Trying To Convey?
The first thing all companies need to ask themselves when developing a brand is what message they want to get across. Your message will differ depending on what field you’re operating in, but it should be consistent across the board and throughout your entire online, print, and advertising presence. Think of your brand message as your calling card; it should be instantly recognizable by those who wish to purchase your service or product.
For example, if your company operates within the legal field, your brand message could be unique enough to set you apart and be memorable but still have a very strong baseline of reputability and trustworthiness that lets people know that you take your job seriously. Striking this balance can be difficult, which is why it’s a good idea to consult with experts who know exactly what it takes to craft a strong brand message.
2. How Can We Leverage Social Media to Our Advantage?
Many of your customers are active on social media, so it’s imperative to work proper techniques into your social feeds. Each platform is different, and often companies need to do a delicate dance of posting enough content to keep customers interested but not overwhelming them. Understanding the intricacies of each platform and how it operates is critical to keeping your brand message effective and on-point.
A savvy social media planner can help you come up with a plan. There are even ways to set up automated posts with varying frequencies over different social media platforms. Adding backlinks to your social feeds from your main website is also effective. As with everything else related to your brand, having a concrete plan can mean the difference between success and failure.
3. What Kind of Copy Do We Need?
No matter what industry or sector you operate in, chances are you’ll need some seriously strong copy to get your message across. Understanding how frequently you need to create copy and where to put it on your social feeds, website, or print materials, requires a good understanding of your brand and what your audience requires and wants from you.
If your company is a pizzeria, you can get away with fluffier copy about different types of pizzas and maybe a piece or two on the history of pizza making. On the other hand, if you’re a doctor’s office, you’ll want more serious copy that gives you credibility and shows why people should trust your medical opinion. Good copy enforces your brand, so approach it intentionally.
4. How Do Our Customers Want To Be Communicated With?
Companies with a good understanding of their customers will generally fare better than those who don’t know what their clients want. As with many of the items on our list of questions, your audience will require different things depending on what sector or industry you’re in. Fun, whimsical sectors like clothing lines, food shops, or entertainment can get away with slightly more casual communication, whereas other sectors can’t.
Understanding how your audience prefers to be communicated with also works hand-in-hand with how you should utilize social media. The style and frequency of communication will vary. It’s good to analyze your audience and think about what approaches have worked in the past. That way, you can operate with some trial and error and come up with viable and smart solutions for the future.
5. Who Are Our Competitors and How Can We Differentiate Ourselves From Them?
This is one of the most important questions that you’ll ask yourself when determining what direction you want to go in for your brand. See what makes your competitors successful and what message seems to be resonating with your shared audience, and then think about what else you can bring to the table that your competitors are not.
It’s helpful to be brutally honest with yourself and your team during this process. Objectively analyze where your shortcomings are and come up with actionable steps that will allow you to make an impression on your desired customers and even take some more market share from your competitors. Additionally, it’s smart to know what your weaknesses are, too, so you can counter any objections thrown at you.
6. Who Are Our Real and Desired Customers?
Like understanding how your customers want to be communicated with and what social media will click with them, having a good idea of what your customer base looks like is important to honing your brand and making it as effective as possible. First, think about who your existing audience is. Are you catering to them properly? What can you do to improve your relationship with this base?
Then, think about what customers you want to attract. How will you put steps in place to widen your customer pool and cater to these two groups? Additionally, if your desired customers are currently with one of your competitors, how will you differentiate yourself from that competitor and be the logical and good choice?
7. How Will We Visually Convey Our Brand?
Visuals are easily one of the most important aspects of a brand and something that you should give a lot of thought to. Logos themselves might look deceptively simple, but they convey a lot of information in a small visual and can often take weeks or even months to perfect. Additionally, how do the pictures you have on your website reflect your brand?
Professional, clean logos and nice bright photography can help you look professional and convey a very clear message. It’s good to go to a reputable company for these things so you can build credibility right off the bat. Marketing companies can also help you understand what’s traditionally worked and what hasn’t so you won’t risk wasting any time or giving your customers the wrong impression.
8. What Are Our Company’s Values?
To have a solid brand with a clear message, you’ll need to think about what values your company embraces and what ones do not define your company. If you have a mission or vision statement, you can start there. Otherwise, brainstorming with your team is a good way to find some common values that you can reflect on your brand. You don’t need too many; just two or three big ones will be more than enough to work from.
Asking yourself these branding questions allows you to understand better what you can specifically bring to the table and approach your brand strategy with purpose and intent. Since your brand is one of the most vital aspects of your company and can make or break you, don’t go it alone. Instead, call LovelyPixels at 304-207-0678. LovelyPixels is a powerhouse in the marketing and design industry, and we can help you craft a stellar brand and marketing strategy.Â
