We recently had the fab Aarti Parmar, founder of AP Brand Communications – a branding specialist working with small business and entrepreneurs on understanding, developing and growing host a great virtual #ialso100 breakfast.
It was a fantastic session, full of insight and information – thank you to all that attended.
Please find below a great guest blog post from Aarti: Why You Need To Start Following The ‘Brand Up’ Approach – please read the original here.
Do you feel like you are marketing your business just for the sake of doing it? Are you using social media just because you think you should? Well now is the time to stop…
In order to build a successful strategy for your brand, you first must develop and understand the brand itself. This means identifying your brand, the perception you want to create and your future goals. Otherwise, you will be spending your valuable time marketing with no direction and no specific intention.
The ‘Brand Up’ Approach is key as you build your brand from the ground up, navigating four steps designed to take your business personality from concept all the way through to market.
Step 1: The Brand
The place to start is with your brand itself. You must understand your brand first and foremost. If you don’t understand your brand strategy framework how can you market and position it effectively? Questions like these will help you get started:
- Why do you exist?
- What’s inspiring your purpose?
- What does my brand want to be known for?
- What value do you bring?
- What makes my brand unique?
- What are my brand values
- Who do I want to serve?
- What problems am I solving?
It’s important to consider all aspects of your brand, from your target audience to the perception you want to create and your brand’s tone of voice. The more you get to know the ins and outs of your brand, the more intentional, focused and directional your marketing, messaging and growth will be going forward, so be sure to dedicate time to this first step.
Step 2: Brand Identity
Once you have a true understanding of your brand, it’s time to build your brand identity. Your brand identity is the visual representation of your brand, including your logo, font, colours and overall brand style. Your brand’s visual identity should reflect your understanding of your brand.
Step 3: Brand Platforms
The next step is to showcase your newly discovered brand and brand identity on different platforms, whether that’s through your social media account, your website or an email marketing campaign. Consistency is important here to ensure your target audience is left with the desired, credible impression of your brand.
Step 4: Marketing
Once you’ve built your brand through steps one to three, you’re ready to reap the benefits of your hard work!
This leads us to the final step in the process: marketing implementation. Use your chosen brand platforms wisely to create awareness and exposure for your brand and products or services. Remember, your brand and brand identity should remain at the heart of your marketing efforts, whether that’s through social media, PR, online advertising or TV and radio.
When the ‘Brand Up’ Approach is put into practice, it allows you to build strong, consistent and credible touchpoints for your target market. This unique, transformational and informative approach adds a real sense of purpose when it comes to marketing your brand and the products or services you offer. Implementing this straightforward four-step process takes your audience on an intentional user journey from discovery to purchase, and it guarantees to deliver results.
Understand and build your brand at a brand discovery session
Need some guidance on getting started and discovering your brand and brand identity? I’m here to help. I offer brand discovery sessions, which can be done over a video call, designed for ambitious business owners looking to begin their brand journey towards marketing with a real sense of purpose. Get in touch today to find out more.
