How to Create a New Brand Image From Scratch

How to create a new brand image

Alfred Goldberg, president of Absolute Marketing Solutions, emphasizes that brands are built in the customers’ minds. “Researching your market and your target audience is the foundation to building a lasting brand,” Goldberg explained. Crafting your brand image with care is essential, as it will be a key component of your business’s marketing plan, guiding and shaping all future marketing efforts.

The following nine steps will help you get started creating a new brand image. 

1. Start gathering data to craft your brand.

Goldberg stressed that before designing a brand, business owners must create a market research plan to gather data and track industry trends. “Whether you are creating a new brand or rebranding, the first step is always research and analysis,” Goldberg said. “The difference between a new brand and an established one is that a new brand does not occupy a place in the market, so analysis of positioning will be aspirational without taking the current position into account.”

There are several aspects to consider in this research-and-analysis phase, so take the following steps:

• Find your target audience. First, you must pinpoint your target audience. These people are interested in discovering your content, buying your products and subscribing to your email newsletters.
• Build customer personas. Next, start building customer personas to inform your branding decisions. For example, if you discover that your audience is primarily ages 50 and older, you’ll want to avoid slang and focus on building a brand with a clear message and design. If you want to build a brand that attracts Gen Zers and millennials, however, you’ll have a vastly different design and voice that may be more colorful and edgy.
• Discover the content your audience enjoys. If you already have a business website, use Google Analytics data to see the content or products your existing audience enjoys. If you don’t already have this data, examine your direct competitors’ websites and social media accounts to understand what resonates with your target market. 

2. Identify your brand’s unique value.

If you have a unique product or service, its innovative features and benefits will be the core of your new brand. However, your brand image shouldn’t just reflect a single offering, as you may expand your products and services in the future. 

Focus on the unique benefits your product or service provides to customers instead of just its features. This will make your brand more adaptable as you grow. (When focusing on individual product branding, you can incorporate both features and benefits to highlight their specific value.)

When your new brand enters an established market, identify aspects that set it apart from the competition. This could include exceptional product quality, generous warranties, fast delivery or stellar customer support. A brand’s value can also be reinforced by the founder’s unique knowledge, background, expertise or personality.

3. Create your new brand logo.

Logos are essential to your business’s success. It doesn’t matter if you’re rebranding a business or starting from scratch — you should always take the time to design a logo that fits your brand voice and identity. Consider the following tips:

• Choose colors thoughtfully. Color can significantly affect how people perceive and respond to your brand online. For example, color psychology studies show that companies with blue in their logos create a sense of trust with their audience. Companies such as Facebook, Dell and AT&T use this tactic. On the other hand, businesses that sell health- or nature-related items or promote concepts of fortune and wealth may consider using green in their logos. John Deere and Whole Foods, for instance, use green shades to emphasize nature and sustainability.
• Consider graphic elements and fonts. Use graphic elements and fonts that align with your brand’s personality. Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, are more traditional and work well for financial institutions. In contrast, sans-serif fonts, like Helvetica, have a sleeker, more modern look and are suitable for tech companies. Either way, ensure your company name is legible.
• Keep your target audience in mind. When designing your logo, it’s crucial to consider your target audience and their preferences. If you create a logo that doesn’t resonate with your potential customers, there’s a good chance you’ll see minimal engagement and conversions.

4. Create an elevator pitch and a tagline.

Elevator pitches and taglines can help you define your brand and convey its essence. 

• Brand elevator pitches: A brand elevator pitch — a short and compelling brand description — is a great way to communicate its core identity. Your brand elevator pitch should explain your offering and why customers will appreciate it. Ideally, this pitch should only take about one minute, or the amount of time it takes to go from one floor to another in an elevator. Your elevator pitch can help you find and attract business investors and generate customer interest. Once you have their interest, you can go into more detail.
• Taglines: A tagline is a short phrase that sums up your brand’s promise and target audience. It’s often incorporated into a brand’s logo. For example, Nike’s tagline is “Just do it,” signifying that Nike encourages and enables customers to be active. Apple’s tagline is “Think different,” showing that Apple’s products are designed differently than the rest (PCs) and are for innovative and creative customers. Dunkin’s tagline “America runs on Dunkin’,” tells people that it’s a brand for everyday individuals, that it’s quick and that its coffee is an essential component of daily life.

5. Establish your brand voice.

After crafting your new logo, it’s time to think about building your brand voice. Your brand voice emerges during every customer interaction. In most cases, consumers will learn about your brand voice through your blog, website, social media posts and customer support team.

• Your website: Create your web copy first, and then build your About page, Contact page, Sales page, FAQ and other essential pages. Ensure you use the same tone and voice throughout the content. Some examples of brand voices include friendly, funny and absurd (Old Spice), positive and inspiring (Nike), proud and exclusive (BMW), and aggressive and strong (Harley-Davidson). If you start with a sense of humor, you must be willing to carry that voice as your business grows.
• Your blog: Small business blogs are an excellent way to grab new visitors’ attention. Very few people come to your website and buy something instantly. You must create a reason for leads to return. Blog posts based around your niche are an excellent way to establish your brand voice and keep your audience engaged as they get closer to purchasing. As a bonus, you can repurpose blog content on your social media accounts.
• Your customer service: Excellent customer service can significantly affect how the public sees your company. Usually, people contact customer support if they have a question or problem with their order. Winning over these customers or interested leads is vital to success. If you want to increase the odds that customers will remember your company, ensure your customer service team aligns with your brand voice.

6. Create a marketing plan.

Based on your brand’s positioning (which you established via your audience research and elevator pitch), you must develop a strategic marketing plan that will get your brand in front of as many qualified potential customers as your budget allows. 

Your marketing plan will outline the channels you plan to invest in (e.g., social media marketing, paid ads) and detail your marketing budget. It should also provide specific messaging strategies and promotional tactics by channel and season and include a customer retention or loyalty program.

7. Create your branded materials.

Mandy Idol, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Indigo Collective Group, says businesses that are ready to promote their brand should develop key assets to convey their brand voice. “You’ll need to create a website, secure social media channels, write a press release, and start creating promotional materials, such as graphics and videos,” Idol explained. 

8. Start building traction with your brand image.

Once you’ve created your brand image, you must tell potential leads and customers about your new or reimagined company. Here are some tips for building traction with your new brand image.

• Start generating excitement. You’ll want to build excitement around your brand’s launch as soon as possible. “Tease the launch of your brand at least one to two weeks prior to generate excitement and interest, utilizing all available marketing channels and your founders’ network,” Idol recommended.
• Identify media opportunities. Idol suggests issuing a press release and promoting your new brand via professional networks, events and other media opportunities. “Identify media opportunities for features and quotes, and seek speaking engagements, such as podcast appearances or event sessions that align with your target audience,” Idol suggested. “All features can be utilized as ongoing promotional materials after the launch.”
• Give customers a heads-up. If you’re rebranding, create an email marketing campaign to inform current customers about the changes you’ve made. You likely already have steady website traffic, so customers and visitors will notice the changes when your redesigned site goes live.
• Leverage social media. Rebrands and new brands should leverage social media to gain exposure, build traction and increase brand awareness online. Your audience research likely revealed the social platforms your target audiences favor, so focus on them when creating business profiles. After establishing a social media presence, start sharing content to engage your audience. For example, you can tell your brand story through videos, static posts and links to blog and website content.
• Create a lead magnet. Whether you’re rebranding or launching a new brand, consider creating a lead magnet to help you build an email marketing list. A lead magnet is something of value a customer receives after signing up for your email list. It may be an e-book, checklist or guide to help the subscriber reach a goal. For example, if you operate a website that sells gardening tools, you could offer a how-to guide called “The Ultimate Guide to a Perfect Garden.” Lead magnets can help you generate sales leads, build traction and become more recognizable on social media.

Launching your brand is not the end of the process but rather the beginning. Idol emphasized that monitoring and adapting your strategy based on customer feedback, preferences and metrics is crucial. “Engaging with your customers through content development, digital marketing channels, event participation and PR/media efforts is a great way to continue building excitement and interest in the brand,” Idol noted.

9. Stay consistent.

Updating your brand shouldn’t be a frequent exercise. Building a brand requires a significant investment of time and money, and you don’t want to confuse your customers. 

Additionally, consistency is crucial when presenting your new brand or rebrand to customers and potential customers. Every employee, distributor, retailer and affiliate must be on the same page when it comes to communicating your brand. 

Consider the following tips to help ensure branding consistency:

• Designate and record official logos. Create a brand resource with the official versions of your logo, including different sizes with and without the tagline. If you have sub-brands for products under the same umbrella, include those as well.
• Create brand guidelines. Publish brand guidelines and distribute them to employees and all stakeholders. This guide should include precise logo colors and fonts and a summary of the brand’s positioning. Specify that the brand, its logos and other intellectual property belong to your company and cannot be used without your approval.
• Train employees on brand positioning. Ensure your brand promises are consistent across all virtual and in-person platforms. For example, if friendliness is part of your brand’s positioning, train your sales team, customer service reps, and all customer-facing employees or contractors to be friendly when interacting with customers.

Brand image do’s and don’ts

To maximize your brand image’s effectiveness, consider the following guidelines.

Brand image do’s include the following: 

• Do create a branding guide. A branding guide with your fonts, colors, kerning, tagline, style and tone will make it easier to craft new branded communications quickly. You’ll be able to effortlessly communicate your branding style to new hires in your marketing department. If you work with a digital marketing agency, a branding guide will ensure everyone on your account is on the same page.
• Do use consistent branding throughout the organization. Distribute your branding guide throughout your organization so no department goes rogue and uses the wrong logo.
• Do carry branding from online to offline. If you have specific branding on your website and social accounts, you should have the same branding in your office decor and printed materials.
• Do use emotion and data to define your brand. Both facts and emotions are crucial in making a sale. The emotional part of branding is arguably the most important, but you should also provide concrete reasons why your product or service is the best choice for consumers.
• Do focus on your core values. What is important to you as a company (other than making money)? These values should be integral to your branding. Ensure they appear on your About page, in marketing copy and even in your tagline. This messaging lets customers know what to expect from you and attracts prospects with similar values and needs.

Brand image don’ts include the following:

• Don’t make your logo too large. An oversized logo can appear unprofessional. A logo on your website should be around 50 pixels by 50 pixels.
• Don’t jump on every bandwagon. Just because your competitors are doing something doesn’t mean you must follow suit. If a promotion or social media comment doesn’t align with your brand, don’t do it. Branding is about maintaining a consistent public-facing image; if you’re just following the crowd, you dilute your brand.
• Don’t make false promises. Branding is essentially a collection of promises about your company. If you make false promises to customers, your brand may suffer irreparable damage.
• Don’t create poor-quality content. A strong content strategy with meaningful and relevant content can pay huge dividends. However, poor content will alienate potential customers. Content is a substantive way to show potential customers that you care about them and want to help and educate them; doing less sends the opposite message. Don’t skimp on your content strategy.
• Don’t expect instant results. Branding takes time. Prospects must see your branding multiple times before it starts to sink in. The more you engage with them, the more quickly you can build your brand. However, brand building is still a process.

Your brand image reflects your business goals

Just as people have different personalities, every organization has a unique brand image. Business owners should build brands that solve real customer problems. Mastering the process of creating a brand image and building a brand community takes time, but the results are worth it. 

Consider the companies that inspire you, and think about traits you can emulate. Business brands are built on goals, compiled research and audience presentation. With a little help from a good designer, you can build a strong and unique brand identity based on your niche, values and target audience.