Building your brand from scratch

Creating an instantly recognizable brand is key to differentiating your brand from your competition. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or run a longstanding business, this essential guide looks to help you build your brand from the ground up.

Your brand influences your market position, lead generation and even what type of customers champion your business. A strong identity ensures your business stands out among a sea of competitors, but also gives you the best opportunity to grow your brand.

What is brand building?

Your brand communicates a promise of value and service quality. Brand building is all about establishing and nurturing your business’ image, recognition and reputation.

A strong brand creates bonds between your business and customers. Those who appreciate your mission, personality and services will remain loyal to your brand. With loyalty comes greater awareness through positive word of mouth, which also strengthens customer retention, credibility and—most importantly—sales.

This leads to greater awareness of your company, customer retention, credibility, and ultimately, sales.

Elements of branding

How to grow your brand from the ground up

Creating a brand that resonates is all about standing out, making a splash and leaving a lasting impression. Whether starting from scratch or looking to pivot into something new, ensure every aspect of your business represents your message.

To do that, first, you’re going to have to put in the groundwork. With a solid foundation based on research, you’re moving in the right direction to having a brand that speaks to your niche and target audience. You’ve the got personality — let’s make it stand out:

• Find your story: Discover what makes you unique, embrace it and flaunt it. Confidence is magnetic. Be sure to update your audience with captivating stories about your brand's journey.
• Know your tribe: Understand your target audience like the back of your hand. Speak their language, solve their problems and make them the hero.
• Unforgettable logo: Create a killer logo that's simple, memorable and instantly recognizable.
• Color pop: Pick colors that set the mood for your business. Let your brand be a visual treat that hooks people at first glance.
• Punchy tagline: Craft a catchy tagline that sticks like glue. Make it sizzle, so your audience can't get it out of their heads.
• Be social savvy: Connect with like-minded people and become a hub online in your online community. Create consistent content that your audience really values.
• Customer love: Treat customers like VIPs. Offer stellar service and leave them raving about you to others — then witness the power of word of mouth.
• Authenticity rules: People love real. Be honest and transparent, and that authenticity will resonate with your customers.
• Create Buzz: Encourage excitement and get people talking with launch events, local activities or giveaways.
• Collab-o-mania: Connect and promote with other like-minded brands and extend your reach. It's a win-win.
• Consistency is king: Keep your tone, style and message steady. Implement your style across all mediums.
• Listen and adapt: Feedback is number one. Hear from your customers, stay flexible and never stop growing.
• Unite your team: It’s not just your vision, it’s your team’s, too. Together, you’re interacting with customers every day. Consistency tells your story.
• Deliver value: Value doesn’t mean making it affordable. If your service delivers on expectations, you’re sitting on the ultimate magnet for loyalty.
• Brace for impact: Growing your brand takes vision, execution, and, most importantly, time. Dedication to the long haul will get things done.

Your brand’s story is always evolving — be fierce, be daring and make it one to remember. This is a start, but let’s dive into what it takes to go from building to growing your brand.

Building a brand story

People no longer buy products or services; they buy into an idea. Your brand tells a story for your audience to connect with. They should be able to understand your values and mission from initial discovery.

65% of people have strong emotions tied to the brands they purchase from, with 90% of those being positive (Lyfe Marketing). This connection leads to long-term loyalty and ambassadorship that help your business to retain customers, generate new leads and grow.

Donald Miller’s ‘Building A StoryBrand’ discusses 7 steps to putting your customers at the heart of your business. Shape your brand based on their needs:

• Character: The customer is the hero of the story. Understand their requirements and pain points to position your brand as the solution.
• Problem: The hero (the customer) has an issue that they want to solve. Clearly define this issue and how your services solve it.
• Guide: Your brand is the guide in the story. Customers need help to overcome an issue and your business is the expert who provides a route.
• Plan: Provide a clear roadmap for how your target audience can use your service to solve a problem.
• Call to action (CTA): Make a clear and compelling CTA that encourages the customer to take the next step, whether it's signing up for a class or scheduling a consultation.
• Failure scenario: Articulate the consequences of not taking action, such as missed opportunities or continued struggles.
• A success scenario: Let them know the positive outcome your customers can expect when they take action.

If you’re an attorney, your firm can gain an advantage by presenting yourself as dependable and appealing to people’s human side. Yes, winning a case is crucial, but some leads will only trust you on quality and frequent communication.

Develop a story and narrative that conveys your brand’s personality, mission and history. It should resonate with your target audience—when they hear it, they will know exactly what type of service they’d receive.

Define your brand strategy

A clear picture and understanding of your brand helps direct your story and define your strategy:

Create your value proposition

Your unique value proposition (UVP) communicates why customers should choose your business and what they'll get in return — crystal clear from the get-go.

Set yourself apart from competitors by highlighting what makes your services special. You can articulate your UVP by crafting a concise and compelling statement. For example, if you run an automotive repair shop, you may specialize in providing eco-friendly solutions for vehicles. Your UVP statement could read:

“We specialize in hybrid and electric car systems, offering tailored diagnostics, maintenance, and repairs. Trust us to keep your eco-friendly ride smooth, reliable and low on carbon emissions.”

Nike believes that everybody is an athlete; its mission is to innovate so athletes can excel:

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

Slack centers their UVP on the convenience of their software. Their users can feel rest assured that collaboration is smooth sailing:

“Slack makes it downright pleasant to work together.”

Craft your brand identity

Brand identity design gives you a clear plan to highlight your business’s unique characteristics. By creating a memorable visual identity and maintaining consistent messaging, your audience knows who your brand is and what it’s all about.

• Name your brand: A memorable name means everything. Ensure it align’s with your brand’s personality and values, but is also something your target audience vibes with. When you’re name is SEO-friendly, more people discover your services online.
• Define your brand values: These core principles and beliefs guide your brand's behavior and decision-making. As always, they should resonate with your target audience but also reflect the qualities they relate to.
• Tie in your brand story: This narrative should remain consistent in all of your messaging, echoing your values.
• Develop a brand personality: Define the characteristics that represent your brand. Are you friendly, professional, innovative or playful? This personality should establish connections.
• Establish a consistent brand voice: Determine the language style, tone and manner of communication consistently used across all channels. Whether it's conversational, authoritative or humorous, ensure your tone resonates and is consistent.
• Design your brand's visual elements: Create a logo, color palette, typography and other visual assets that reflect your brand's personality and differentiate it in the market. Incorporating a signature color can boost brand recognition by a remarkable 80% (Oberlo).

Use branding to shape your marketing strategy

Brand identity informs marketing strategy by providing a clear framework for how a company wants to be perceived. It shapes messaging, design and campaigns as a whole to connect with your target audience.

• Leverage your brand's unique attributes: Use brand elements (logo, colors, typography,) to reinforce brand recognition, evoke emotions and maintain a cohesive brand identity.
• Utilize social media: Meet your target customers where they’re at. Facebook opens up dialogue with your customers. Instagram helps to visually present your brand. Establishing your brand helps understand what channels your audience uses and where to generate the most engagement.
• Align marketing messaging with brand values: Align content with your brand's values so it resonates with your target audience. Ensure your services meet customers’ needs, and highlight what makes your brand stand out.
• Use brand storytelling in marketing: Share stories that showcase your brand's values and purpose to create an emotional connection with your audience.
• Continued brand marketing strategy: Track key metrics, such as brand awareness, customer engagement and conversion rates, to gauge the impact of your efforts. Use these insights to refine your strategy and drive long-term growth.

82% of customers buy from brands they feel share their values (Zippia). Creating a brand that connects with your target audience’s beliefs leads to community building, ambassadorship and positive word of mouth — all influencing your marketing strategy.

Reduce the need for traditional advertising, as satisfied customers are spreading the word for you; it enhances brand credibility, trust and authenticity, which are all crucial factors to getting new customers. Your strategy begins to rely on the power of genuine connections and advocacy.

Establish brand consistency

Research has shown that 90% of customers value brand experience and the service provided equally (eMarketer). The small details matter—pay close attention and consistently deliver a memorable brand.

How your team engages with leads and customers is part of that experience. It’s not just aboiut visually identity; every action impacts how your business is perceived.

• Develop brand guidelines: Building a brand requires the right blocks. Think about the guidelines you’d like to put in place to represent your business across every touchpoint. This influences your logo usage, color schemes, typography and TOV.
• Train team members: Get every team member on the same page when it comes to your brand's values and messaging. Consistent representation extends to all customer interactions—your team are an extension of your brand.
• Monitor brand mentions: Regularly check social media for shout outs and mentions to engage with your audience. Addressing customer feedback, both positive and negative, in a professional and timely manner ensures people know you’re listening and engaged.

Interactions come in all shapes and sizes: forms, chat inquiries, phone answering, emails and appointment bookings. To shine, maintain a consistent and on-brand experience—from visuals to tone and friendliness.

Online marketplaces often dilute your unique branding as they dictate how it’s seen. Adding a ‘Book Now’ button to your website, social media or Google Business Profile keeps your brand at the heart of your booking process—and you don’t have to pay any commission.

Make your brand’s visual identity stand out

Creating a distinct visual identity with a particular color palette, typography and imagery helps align your brand’s personality with your target audience. Think of Lego. They use primary colors and bold typography to help spread their feeling of imagination and creativity.

Visually identity should remain consistent whether it’s your packaging, website, booking system or social media posts.

Patagonia's imagery is a great example. They emphasize nature, sustainability and outdoor engagement, which creates a cohesive identity across all their channels.

• Social media: Nature-inspired posts, outdoor activities, sustainable living and product imagery with subdued, neutral colors.
• Website: Product images in outdoor settings, with real adventurer stories and an earthy color palette.
• Packaging: Minimalist, recyclable packaging always with their mountain range logo.
• Advertising: Viewers are engaged through thought-provoking messages about sustainability, such as their 'Don't Buy This Jacket' campaign.
• Print Materials: Adventure-driven catalogs, landscapes and durable products.
• Retail Stores: Rustic design, eco-friendly elements, encouraging exploration—it’s Patagonia through and through.
• Worn Wear Program: Repaired product images, focusing on durability and reuse.
• Online Community: User-generated content (the best!), nature exploration, outdoor enthusiasts.

Their imagery is consistent; no matter where or how you come across Patagonia, you know who they are and what they stand for.

58% of people become curious and interested in a brand when they see it in Instagram Stories.

Does your target audience use this platform? Seize the opportunity to showcase your brand where it counts, pronto.

*Instagram Business

Build an online presence

• Website: Build a professional website which showcases your brand, gives information about your services and empowers customers to book a spot in your calendar.
• Social media: Where does your target audience engage with the most on social media? Ensure your brand is active on their with thoughtful content, while you interact with followers and forge connections to build a community.
• Content marketing: Research and produce valuable and relevant content. Vary your approach with blog posts, videos, podcasts or infographics, that align with your brand and resonates with your audience.
• SEO: Optimize your website and content for search engines to boost your organic visibility and attract new leads.
• Advertising: Consider using paid advertising channels, such as search engine marketing (SEM), social media ads or display ads. Clever spend could increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website.
• Reserve with Google: Get bookings from Search and Maps results with a ’Book’ button for your Google Business Profile. Leverage Google's reach to increase brand visibility and direct leads to your Booking Page.

Foster brand loyalty

Leads could make an initial purchase based on your brand story, value proposition or online content, but exceptional service will keep them coming back.

88% of consumers feel that it takes three or more purchases to build brand loyalty (Exploding Topics). Re-engage with customers through social media, email marketing and even conferences. By offering loyalty programs, exclusive offers or special events, you can create a sense of community.

If you run a clothing boutique, why not throw a launch event for your new season lines? Invite customers who have purchased frequently or purchased similar items in the past. Build anticipation by emphasizing that the event is exclusive to particular customers and personalize invites to ensure they feel valued. It’s an investment in building brand loyalty and retaining customers for long-term sales.

Encourage customers to share their experiences and opinions about your brand. User-generated content, such as testimonials, reviews or social media posts, can boost credibility and attract new customers.

Step out from the crowd

Don’t compromise your branding by listing your business on a service marketplace. Marketplaces promise to bring more leads to your business, but in reality, your customers get pushed to competitors — and for a fee.

Focus on providing excellent service, personalized interactions and high-quality services that align with your brand’s mission. Your Booking Page, automatic reminders, virtual sessions and online payments create a unique brand experience, catering to your specific customer base.

Inform product and service development

Identify gaps in the market or areas where your brand's unique value proposition can be leveraged to meet customer needs. If you offer language lessons, your brand can grow beyond your local reach with virtual and group classes.

Actively seek feedback from customers to understand their preferences, pain points and suggestions for improvement. Use this input to enhance existing services or develop new ones that skyrocket growth.

Evolve your brand and get more bookings

It’s only the beginning. Keep on top of industry trends, understand your consumers and keep tabs on what the competition is doing. When you’re informed, you can adjust your strategy accordingly and stay up-to-date.

When you gather regular feedback, you’re constantly learning new areas where you can improve and refine your brand. Your customers, team members and industry experts offer varied insights for you to explore and help you deliver an immersive brand experience.