I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, I’d like to propose a new one: “You are what you brand.” Your brand is how other people perceive your company and your role in it. It’s also how they judge whether or not they want to engage with your business. If your brand isn’t strong enough, customers won’t remember who you are or how great your product is when push comes to shove.

So how do you build a strong brand? Here are some strategies that have worked well for me:

Know your why

To build your brand, you must first know your “why”. Why do you do what you do? Why is your service or product important to people? Why is it different from other similar services or products? And finally, why should anyone spend money on it when they could get the same thing cheaper elsewhere.

For example: if you’re in the business of selling coffee, then why did you start a coffee shop instead of just working in another coffee shop like everyone else does? Maybe because no one else was doing it right enough for your taste. Or maybe because there’s something about making people happy with a good cup of joe that has always appealed to your sense of service and generosity toward others—in which case “being nice” might be part of the answer.

Forbes has a few questions to help you figure out your why. Check them out here.

Stand for something

  • Be clear on what you stand for.
  • Make sure that your message is authentic and consistent.
  • Your brand should always be a part of your marketing strategies, no matter if it’s a logo or an Instagram post.

Be true to who you are

When you build your brand, it’s important to know who you are and what you stand for. Then, you can consistently represent that brand.

  • Know your audience. Identify the people you want to attract, be very clear on who they are and why they would choose to work with you over someone else. What are their needs? Do they trust you? Why should they trust you?
  • Be authentic. Don’t try to be something that is not real or genuine about yourself, it won’t resonate with your audience if it comes across as fake or inauthentic (think about how much people love to hate celebrities for this reason). If a person feels like what they see from an influencer is just a front for an image or a facade, then there is no connection between the two—and no trust gained by either party involved.*

Be very clear on who you serve and why

It’s important to know who your audience is and why they need the service that you provide. When you build your brand, make sure you can answer these questions about your audience: Who are they? What do they want? Why do they want it? What do they like, dislike, or consider important? If you can’t answer those questions, how can you possibly expect to serve them well?

For example: If a client comes to me wanting help with their website and tells me that their target market is high schoolers and college students in their area who need custom t-shirts for their school’s sports teams, then we could probably dive right into brainstorming ideas for a logo design. But if the client comes to me with an idea for a business selling customized jewelry for dogs (because apparently there’s some kind of crazy trend going on), then I’d have no way of knowing whether or not my designs would even appeal to that particular audience—and so we may have wasted some time on this project if it turns out that these dog owners don’t see any value in what I’m offering them.

Consider what makes your service or product different from others and use that to become the go-to in your industry.

You can’t be everything to everyone, but you should make sure your brand stands out from the crowd. Ask yourself: what makes your service or product different from others in your industry? What can you do better than anyone else? Why would someone choose you over a competitor?

To answer these questions, consider what makes your service or product different from others and use that as a way to become the go-to in your industry.

Curate your message

This is the most important part of building your brand: curating your message. As a brand-builder, you need to be consistent and authentic, while simultaneously being flexible enough to adapt to different platforms and audiences.

To achieve this, you must curate your message in such a way that it’s both unique and recognizable—and always communicates the same thing: who you are, what makes you special, why people should care about what you have to offer.

Conclusion

It’s important to have a clear understanding of what your brand stands for. This will be the foundation on which everything else is built. Once you know why you do what you do, all other decisions become easier—and with that clarity in place, creating a brand that resonates with customers is much easier than ever before! If you want our help with developing your brand, join our next Blueprint Intensive.