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You’re a conscious business owner, minority or women-led, and I’m sure as an entrepreneur you have plenty of people like me telling you that you *need* to develop your brand. So you’ve thought about it, I’m sure, but it’s probably never really been a priority to you because why would it? You’re not even sure what it is! ....No one has even really explained the terms that are apparently so important to your business.
Today I'm going to set the record straight so you can wrap your head around what the term means and why they are a very important tool to help you grow your business!
I get asked the question so frequently, whether it be from clients, prospective clients or myself (sometimes). Brands are constantly changing, being repositioned and redesigned that sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the design trends and lose focus of what the foundations of branding are.
So here it is, my succinct explanation of what a Brand and branding ACTUALLY are (p.s. it’s not just your logo). Let's start with the basics, the textbook definitions. I have defined them the most simple way I know-how.
BRAND - A brand is something that helps consumers identify a company, product, service or individual.
BRANDING - Branding is the process of giving meaning to a specific company, product, service or individual by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds.
**AN EXAMPLE** - You or your company, product, service is the Brand. All the things you do to make your brand come to life is Branding.
Now we've got the very basics out the way I can introduce you to the elements that make up a brand.
THE ANATOMY OF A BRAND
A brand can be broken down pretty cleanly into 5 sections. Each of these sections can be broken down further and in great detail (but I'll write separate posts about those, don't worry). Although there is one large standard framework for what makes a brand, like many designers, I have my own little spin on it. My sections are:
I. Brand Purpose:
What you do and WHY. The WHY….Why exactly do you do what you do?
II. Brand Positioning:
How your brand is different from your competitors and where, or how, it sits in the customers’ minds.
III. Brand Values:
What your Brand stands for. Core values that run throughout your brand.
IV. Brand Story:
It’s the story you tell, the voice you use. It’s who you are and how you run your business.
V. Brand Identity:
The aesthetics - the brand visuals. Logos, colours, typography, imagery, Marketing collateral, etc.
I'm going to stop here for today, seeing as I have probably thrown many words and concepts at you that you are not 100% familiar with. This is the first in a series of blog posts and resources I’ll be sharing in the next couple of months explaining exactly what it is that I do, why it’s important, and how it can help your business.
For all those starting or restarting their branding journeys, I offer a free branding basics checklist to you develop your brand. That can be downloaded below.
Stick around, guys - I’m really excited about this. And as always, always choose love.
Ruth x
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