Have you ever found yourself lost in a pool of thoughts while decoding the how’s of a new venture? It might seem complex initially, but eventually, everything comes down to a strategy! Especially in the startup sector, a concrete plan goes a long way. It acts as a building block for promoting a business, reaching the desired audience, and generating income.
A continual process that explains to clients what you provide, what you are present in the market for, and how you will improve their lives helps one establish their brand online. While building a relationship with your clients, your branding strategy enables you to understand and fulfill customer needs and expectations.
Creating a solid and long-lasting brand identity is one of the most challenging tasks when you are just starting. It isn’t just about the company’s visual personality but the relationship you nurture with your audience over time. It’s important to know that all your business details should form a personal meaning with your overall identity.
Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty and discuss the various aspects that add to one’s brand identity –
1. Create a captivating logo design – The logo carries the organization sentiment. Whatever design you choose, create one that is creative, engrossing, and memorable. It should strike curiosity in the customer’s mind as it is the primary basis of your firm identity. Your packaging, signage, promotional material, etc., will all carry your logo ahead with you. So, it’s safe to say that logo is the building block of your organizational success.
Any ideation for a logo could come up from two spaces – either a traditional or anomalous approach. The traditional style is to place the usual symbols, like the red cross, which is common in the sector for most of the logos. But the catch here comes with its execution in one’s unique individual way. The anomalous approach is the unconventional type where you can use new and original icons symbolic of your brand. It should be minimal but meaningful to keep the brand image simple yet impactful.
2. Define the technical aspects of the logo – The technicalities of a logo include its size, space, and placement. The size can be fixed by analyzing where exactly the logo will be used. Giving space in your logo is an essential factor in making it more visually appealing. It helps in distinguishing the logo from the various other elements.
Specify where the brand’s logo will appear on the business front. For example, for a company card it will be placed on the top of both sides. On a letterhead, the logo is ideally positioned where the organization name appears.
3. Use catchy phrases to evoke interest – Sometimes, just an icon or a symbol alone doesn’t do justice to describe your brand. In such a case, wordplay plays an immense role in representing the firm and the idea behind the logo. You can use a captivating tagline that adds sense to your brand. It’s always safe to use a tagline that is no more than 2-4 words. It makes it easy to grasp and leaves an impression at the same time.
4. Choose a color scheme that aligns with your services – Your color scheme should cover various elements like visual appeal, brand purpose, and imagination. The color scheme you use should convey a message and attribute some feelings. Being a budding entrepreneur, learn the significance of the colors and what they mean in your target market.
You can also experiment with the new color pallet, while evaluating the risk post market research. Every color has a varied meaning when combined or used separately. To make the most out of it, you must cleverly combine them and decide what suits your brand best.
5. Launch brand stationery to reach a greater mass audience – Your brand stationery includes information required for B2B (business-to-business) communication and B2C (business-to-consumer) communications. It will help you promote and advertise your company, making customers remember your brand. You can design a business card, letterhead, and envelope with a uniform look and present all the essential details about your company. Since we’re all about using modern-day technology, make full use of the digital platform and create a website where your products can be viewed and bought online.
Outdoor advertising is another innovative idea that can be implemented to reach an audience at the grassroots level. It promotes a targeted approach with a more personalized reach.
6. Product handling and packaging should be practiced with caution – Packaging for products requires prudence. Even the design for an individual product varies depending upon the target audience who will consume it. Based on your offerings, the product communication, designing and the aesthetics must be tailor-made to your consumers.
7. Brochure designs can boost your sales traffic through effective promotion – Despite the widespread use of digital marketing tools and platforms, marketers still regard brochures as a valuable resource. It is one of the tested forms of below-the-line marketing. There are several benefits of having a brochure for your startup as it comes at a very affordable cost. This helps to deliver to a vast audience at a very cost-friendly rate. Many people can access your brochure, which eventually brings unmatched visibility to your business. It’s informative and even acts as your business pitch, highlighting your organizational values and ethics.
AUTHORS:
Pramita Sen is the Founder of WeYou Partners and a brand strategist
Vartika Srivastava is interning with WeYou Partners, and a student at Christ University, Bangalore