Your brand is so much more than your company name and logo. It is a set of expectations and associations which fuse together to make customers feel a certain way when interacting with your company. Branding is knowing what you stand for and bringing it to life in everything you do. There are a number of different techniques and approaches outlined in the resources below, from thinking of your new brand as a living person, to defining your brand’s mission statement, brand values and tone of voice. Once you have your brand guidelines in place, then – and only then – can you layer it with brilliant design.
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WHEN: You are ready to jump in and prototype your ideas. Particularly useful for businesses fronted by you as a person, rather than a company brand.
WHY: Forces you to think about your customer, their pain points, and what you stand for as a brand.
WHAT: An energising five-day online programme to build your own brand by Pat Flynn. Day 1 is relevant to all businesses, but the rest is only useful if you want to build your own website.
WHEN: Your brand is online; it has a website, active social media and is receiving independent reviews.
WHY: Give yourself the tools and guidelines to maintain a positive reputation online.
WHAT: Short article that links to further resources covering six ways to pragmatically protect your brand, including managing negative reviews, tracking when you are mentioned on the internet and how to offer a high level of customer service online.
