You’ve been preparing for months. You’ve spent countless hours applying for your business license, filling out and submitting all the legal paperwork, and planning out your budget and inventory.
You believe in your business and are ready to share it with the world. But before you do that, it’s important to build your brand.
Branding is important. When you create a brand, you’re creating a name, symbol, or design that is your visual identity. Your brand says who you are, what you stand for, why your business matters, and what you contribute to your industry. A well-done branding gives your company legitimacy, builds consumer trust, and allows you to compete with top businesses in your industry.
One mistake among startups is putting off branding until they get settled and get some momentum going. It makes sense – you’ve invested a significant amount of time and money and you want to see how your company does before investing more. You believe in your company, and other people will too, right? Well, not exactly.
You could have the best products or services on the market, but without the right branding, there’s a good chance you could be overlooked.
Branding can seem like an overwhelming venture, so we’ve laid out some easy-to-follow steps to help you through the process.
Allow enough time to create a brand worthy of your business
A brand isn’t made overnight. It’s a process. Just as it takes time to build a business, it takes time to build a brand. As badly as you want to get this show on the road, it’s important to allow enough time to get your brand just right. It’s better to invest the time now and get it right than have something done quickly and have to redo it because you’re dissatisfied. A brand is what everyone will associate with your business. Think about popular brands such as Target or Starbucks. Their iconic logos come to mind, right? You don’t even have to see their name to know who they are. A well-done branding can mean the difference between blending in and standing out among the competition.
Define your business mission and vision
You may have already done this step, especially if you’ve written out a business plan. Regardless, the act of writing out what your business stands for and goals for the future will help you layout your core values and dreams, where you are, and where you want to go. Answering this question will help you define what you want your business to represent to others. What tone and message do you want to convey to your audience?
Work with a team who has your best interest at heart
Branding isn’t a one-person job. Just as you are the expert on your business, there are design companies who are the experts at branding.
If you wing it and try to create your logo and visual identity, you risk spending an exorbitant amount of time and getting in over your head. The perks of working with a design team are far worth the investment. Creative teams design brands all the time. It’s their job and specialty. They work with a spectrum of industries and demographics. They will be able to lead you through the process whether you have a general idea of how you want your business to be portrayed or if you’re starting from scratch. A good design company’s goal is to help you succeed and to create the best design for your market while keeping your company’s integrity in mind.
At Old City Web Services, we believe in doing everything we can to help our clients succeed. We enjoy seeing a someone’s vision come to life and are happy to be a part of that process. Take a look at the work we’ve done for our clients, and if you are interested in working with our experienced creative team to help build your brand, contact us today for a free consultation!