The 4 branding basics you need to unleash your business

Branding is one of those fluffy topics that can be broken down into a million different components with names that mean slightly different things to different people. Components like brand stories, brand promises, positioning statements, and more.

It’s done to help explain the concept and put it into bite-sized pieces that are easier to digest (I use these terms myself). But when you’re building your business and trying to gather information about branding, it can also make things really confusing. Do you really need all these things?? What are the branding basics?

Well, to help simplify the process for you, I’ve put together the bare-bones, most basic steps you can take to create a brand from scratch.

Branding basics 1: Vision & values

So, this is where you start — by working out why your business needs to exist and what you stand for. A meaningful brand is one that is build on a meaningful foundation. You’ve got to be setting out to achieve something worthwhile for your target market.

Sit down and figure out the purpose of your business and the beliefs or values you’ll stand by. What can you promise your audience? Why should they care enough about your brand to follow it/buy from it? The elements of your brand that you come up with in this initial step will be its primary driving force, propelling you forward as your business grows.

You can also look into:

• purpose
• core values
• brand promise
• brand vision

Branding basics 2: Messaging

The previous step should have set you up nicely for this step in your branding. Your brand messaging where you put your vision and values into words and phrases to communicate the value of your brand to others. You’ll use this in your marketing. You’ll use it when you’re speaking to prospects. It’ll be evident everywhere from your website to the way you post on social media.

There’s two main parts to this: what you say and how you say it. What you say should be a reflection of your vision and values (from branding basics 1). Key note: make it about your audience/clients.

For how you say it, you’ll want to define a personality or tone of voice for your brand. Give your brand some attributes and a sense of character that shines through in every piece of copy you write.

You can also look into:

• brand message
• positioning statement
• brand story
• tagline

Also read: An easy exercise for writing a brand message