BUILDING A BRAND
Building a trusted trademark brand from the ground up is no easy task.
“What should it look like?”
“How should it make people feel?”
“Will it get my message across to my target audience?”
These are questions that naturally come up when you start the discovery journey of how to connect the dots between which services you’re offering or what you’re selling and who it is that you’re trying to reach. Whether you've a start-up or looking to enhance your existing brand, here's everything you need to know about building a strong brand for your business.
This content has been adapted from part of Jason Mace’s best-selling entrepreneurial self-help book, Event Industry Boss: The Secret to Becoming Successful in the Event Industry, which is a great source of information and good ideas.
WHAT’S IN A BRAND?
A brand isn’t just a recognizable name and logo that distinguishes you in a crowded market. Your brand is how people identify you. We all have a personal brand that means something different to everybody we meet. We each have many different traits that leave different impressions on different people, and what they say about us when we’re not there. So as an individual always leave a good impression and look after your personal brand on the way.
Likewise, businesses have names, products, logos, colours, fonts, a language, a mission statement, and most importantly a story that make up who they are and affect how they are identified.
HOW DO I START BUILDING A BRAND?
Let’s start with laying the groundwork for building your brand. Figure out your place in the market before you start making any decisions about your brand. Here are some things to think about:
• Google your product or service category to view
your competition. The names at the top of the ads
will usually be the big players with a budget to
spend on their effort, so therefore more likely to be
the most successful at what they do and what you
want to do. Look at their services, products and
website. What would you do to improve on it to set
yourself apart?
• Chat to people who are part of your target market
and ask them which services/product they buy in
your space. Visit Trade Shows and Expos, talk to
the people who exist within the industries to gain a
greater understanding of the way the market is
going.
• Social Media has become the platform of choice
for delivering ads and messages, which can be
directly targeted at key demographics whose
attention you need, but before you get to that
stage, research who they are. Join groups filled
with people who appreciate the kind of work you
do and go down the rabbit hole. See who they are,
what makes them tick. If you know your audience,
then you will have a better idea of how you want to
present your brand.
• Also before you begin your business, join groups
filled with professionals in your industry and ask
questions. Don’t be shy. I can absolutely say with
confidence that you will be told not to bother, there
are too many doing that already. Ignore them. You
will of course also receive lots of great advice, and
be pointed in the direction of websites and
resources to help you on your way.
• Ask your friends for advice, both online and
personal. Give them options. Would you prefer logo A
or logo B? People cannot help but give you their
opinion. It makes them feel valued. So what better
way to make them feel like a part of your journey than
by asking their opinion on what matters most at that
time? They’ll want to help out down the line when it
comes to promoting you.
• Research hashtags relevant to your product or
service on social media to see the kinds of people
that use them, and the kind of impact the posts have.
Want to become the rockstar of marquee hire and
make it your speciality to deliver extra special prom
and 18th birthday celebrations with live music or
circus acts in a personal festival tent? Go for it.
• What is your ideal client, and who do you want to
work with? It’s also important that you get a solid
picture of who your own dream client or customer
would be. It will help you to mould the personality of
your brand. Find your ideal demographic and set the
bar high. It’s important to have this knowledge before
moving forward with your business plan as it will
inform you about what your brand should focus on
and how it can position itself apart from the
competitors
• It’s important to focus on value. It’s all about value.
Let that form all the other parts of your business and
brand as you build it. If you add value to someone’s
life, then you have a great brand. Which words work
with your brand? Look at your brand through a
customer’s eyes. What would you expect to see, or
receive, for your money? What kind of value would
you require being the client? Think about backup
service, maintenance, or spare parts. All of these add
value, which come at a cost, so never undersell
yourself.
Have you thought about the logo? Is there one you have in mind? Some logos, however simple they might appear, do have some incredible thought, and often great backstories.
For example, above is the classic Gala Tent logo – The colour blue represents trust, bank logos are all usually blue if you look at them, as they are the colour of trust. In our case we also want to project the outdoors and the blue sky. The text GALA TENT in capital letters in Gold represents the Gold customer service and quality of product that we supply. The logo breaks away into lines, which represent a modular tent that you can add to. The shape is of a pitched roof, representing cover. The name Gala represents a social occasion with special entertainments or performances. We added the union jack to our logo a decade ago to promote our British authenticity along with a very clever marketing device, the longlasting slogan Designed and Built in Britain. This still works for us today, it’s a great slogan, and one I am very proud of.
There is no magic formula for creating the best brand, delivering the best product to the correct market. It takes a lot of time, effort, mistakes, research, development, and ultimately, it will need a lot of love from you to give it the best chance of survival. If you know who your customer is, and what value you add to their life, you’re already winning.
If you’d like to get a copy of the original book that this article is adapted from, click here. If you’re interested in having a chat with the marketing team for advice about how to get your brand built, drop them an email, and if you’re ready to go and want to invest in your new career with a marquee, why not give our team of experts a ring on 01709 242454 now.
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