Branding is definitely not marketing.

A lot of people like to confuse the two. Marketing has more to do with getting the word out and the strategy that you’re going to use to get more brand awareness. Branding has more to do with who you are and how you make your audience feel when they come in contact with your brand. Branding is all about perception.

Another myth is that when people think of the word brand, they think of their logo. Your, logo is just a part of the whole system. The visual part is not just a brand. It goes deeper than that. 

WHAT IS BRANDING?

Branding is basically the essence of what your company is and how it creates an experience for your audience. It’s about the perception that your customer has about your brand. It’s comprised of the logo, the colors, the fonts, the imagery, your messaging, they all working together to create a perception in the consumers mind.

Why do you really need branding? Why do you have to go through that whole process? Well, think about it. Just like a human being has a name, look, personality and a way that they connect with the world, it’s the same thing for your brand. So you can’t just say “I’m going to go market” but you don’t have a name, look, personality, and core values. People won’t know who are enough to buy from you without a brand. So going through the process helps you put a face, personality and values to what you’re doing thus creating the perception in the consumer’s mind about you. 

You have to ask and answer some hard questions about yourself. Who do you want to be as a brand? What’s going to help you set yourself apart from the rest? 

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE BRANDING PROCESS

Decide who you are as a brand. 

Brainstorm where you want to take your brand, explore knowing yourself, audience, and competition. You need to develop your story and your personal bio as well.

Define your brand.

Next, you have to really define your brand  by crafting a foundation. You do that by creating your mission, vision, company promise, core values, and framework. 

Set the mood for your brand.

Solidify  what type of personality you want your brand to have (i.e. luxurious, fun, solemn) and create your pitch and story. 

Develop a strategic plan.

A plan gives your brand permission to come to life. Set strategic goals to focus on what you want to accomplish in 1, 5, 10, and 20 years. This is what is going to help build a profitable brand and help you stay relevant in your market. Outline your strategy on how you will communicate and launch your brand to the world.

Design your brand identity

Now, after you’ve done all those three that’s when you start working on the visual part. I’ve seen people make this mistake before, where they say, “I want to start this business. I need to get a logo. I need to get a website.” And then after a few months you clearly  see that they don’t have a solid, consistent brand.  That’s why it’s important to go through the branding process first, and then you start designing. Your brand identity includes your logo, tagline, fonts, color palette and imagery/photography.

Branding is a long but rewarding process. In a crowded market where companies are vying for attention, it is important to stand out with a clear, consistent, and aesthetically pleasing brand.