Branding 101: Taking Your Brand to the Next Level

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Check out this fantastic article from the awesome Eleanor Hecks — founder and managing editor of Designerly Magazine.

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Taking your brand up a notch is necessary to getting your company noticed and creating high visibility amongst your customers. Yet, you must deploy a creative branding strategy that can help your business increase its profits and go a long way in resonating with your audience.

Consumers are willing to pay more for brands that share the same values as they do, but only if they can relate to them. This means your company needs to be transparent, connect emotionally with audiences, and define a brand narrative.

To help expand your reach, here are the top strategies guaranteed to take your brand to the next level.

Define Your Target Audience

Your target audience is the group of people you want to reach with your product or service. It’s important to define your target audience before building your brand because once you know who they are, it’s easier to communicate and build relationships with them.

The first step in defining your target audience is determining who you’re trying to reach. It could be a specific group of people, an age range and even a certain gender.

If you still need to find out about your target audience, consider who has been talking about your brand lately. Did they mention something that made them think of your business? If so, that’s a good place to start!

Create a Brand Narrative

Brand narratives are the stories your brand tells, which are important for many reasons. For one, they help you build trust with customers by letting them know what sets you apart and why they should choose you over your competitors.

Then there’s the fact that these stories can increase sales — by making people feel like they’re getting value from the experience they have with your company.

If you want to take your brand to the next level, start thinking about what makes your business stand out from all the others in its industry. What are its key strengths — and how can you use those strengths to attract new customers?

Design a Logo That Reflects Your Brand Narrative

When enhancing your brand, you must remember that it’s not only about the product but also the story. That’s why you must design a logo that reflects your brand identity and narrative, so customers can quickly understand your company.

An effective logo is more than just an image with text, though. It represents who you are and what you want to accomplish, so it needs to be clear and memorable.

A great way to develop a coherent logo is by brainstorming with your team about what makes your company stand out as a brand — their values, experiences, achievements and more. Once you’ve identified them, then use this information as inspiration when creating your brand-new icon.

Create an Identity System That’s Consistent With the Brand Narrative

A brand identity system can be a powerful tool for taking your brand to the next level.

When you’re developing your brand identity system, it’s important to consider how people will perceive the elements of your design across different platforms.

Whether you have a website or an app, the information your designs convey must be consistent with the tone and voice of your brand. An identity system should avoid contradicting your company’s values. Yet, it should feel transparent at the same time.

A good way to get started on this is by thinking about the types of experiences that make up your brand narrative. Who are you as a company? Who do you want to reach, and what are your values?

Establish a Referral Program

If you’re not already offering a referral program, you should. It’s one of the best ways to take your brand to the next level and can be highly lucrative.

These programs allow your audience to share their experience with your business and refer others in return. It’s a win-win for everyone involved because the person doing the referral earns rewards, and others receive free or discounted services while you get repeat customers each time.

Here are some ways you can use referrals in your own business:

• Provide a discount for referring new customers through your website or social media accounts.
• Offer incentives like gift cards or discounts for referrals.
• Give away prizes for referrals through social media posts or other avenues where people might share their experiences with your business.

Remember that if you want your referral program to work, you must promote it on social media and your website so people can learn about it.

Build a Great Relationship With Customers

Building a great relationship with your customers is crucial for taking your brand to the next level. This requires an understanding of what’s going on with them and how you can apply it to your business.

Start by finding out what makes people happy. A survey can be a great way to do this, but there are other ways. This might include using analytics software or even engaging with the community and asking questions yourself.

When you connect with your customers, they become invested in what you do and how you do it. When that happens, it’s not just about the product or service you provide — it’s about how your brand makes them feel about themselves.

Whether through a sense of community, or an emotional connection with the people behind the company, building a relationship with your customers is one of the most important things you can do for your business.

Make Your Business and Brand Thrive

Consider your brand the main tool to take your business to the next level. To grow your business, you must invest in your brand.

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