Defining Your Brand Style
Choosing a brand style is easy. Choosing a brand style that works best for your business can be a little more tricky to determine. There are many factors to consider when finding a signature brand style that will represent your business the best. Whether you are a new business owner looking to develop a brand strategy for the first time or you are a seasoned business owner wondering if it might be time to refresh your established brand, these tips can help lead you down the right path.
It is not as simple as choosing a few colours and fonts and rolling with it. There are many things to consider when developing a successful signature brand style. It starts with creating your company mission and values, understanding the target audience you want to attract, and taking some time to study and research what your competitors are doing. Proper analysis can help you come up with unique branding for your business.
Let’s dive into these considerations a little further!
Ask Yourself These Key Brand Questions
If you are passionate about your business, this step will be easy. If you are not sure where to start for your design approach, answering the following key brand questions can help you determine your brand mission, values, and key messaging.
- Why did I start this business in the first place?
- Beyond the profit, what do I want to see come out of my business?
- What are 3 words that describe my brand best?
- How will my brand better the lives of my customers?
After this first step, your key messages will clearly be laid out which will then help you determine how best to visually represent your business in a unique way and also help you determine your brand voice.
Step 2. Know Your Target Audience
When you first developed your business, you probably knew that there was a demand for your products or services. When it comes to branding, you also have to consider how your brand will attract your target audience.
Speaking to your target audience in a way that resonates with them and creates a connection will help build trust with your business. If you’re not sure who your target audience is, you could start by looking through your business insights on your social channels to understand who and where your audience is currently coming from. Still confused? We can do the work for you! Let us help you determine how best to target your chosen demographic and grow your business!
Build Off of Your Competitors
Knowing how best to approach your brand style takes time and research. You will want to find out what your competitors are doing, especially if they are having success with attracting your ideal customer. Figure out what your competitors are lacking so that you can fill that void and stand out from the rest.
While researching your competitors, keep a folder of colors, fonts, and examples of anything marketing-related that you gravitate to. (Packaging, websites, advertisements, social media feeds, etc.) The key when finding your unique brand style is not to copy your competitors, but to take different elements from each that you specifically like and piece them together to create a new look.
Of course, if you don’t have the time to spend researching your competitors and discovering which fonts, colours, and graphic style you prefer – we can spend the time determining that for you!
Here at CM2 Media, our in-house graphic designers have worked with many different brands and built unique brand styles that look professional and attract our clients’ ideal target audience. Our social media and clients are a great place to reference design examples that our team has done as well as the “Our Work” page on our website.
For additional inspiration and information, we’ve written a brand strategy blog that lays out the basics for how to develop a successful strategy for your brand, as well as a blog all about developing your content strategy through digital marketing today.
If you’re looking for help or advice to design your brand’s signature style or are unsure about where to start with your brand strategy, contact us today and our team will be happy to assist in helping you reach your business goals! After all, you and your business offer something truly unique to the market, and you deserve to have a brand style that represents that!
To stay up to date with more marketing content and tips, follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn. We look forward to hearing from you with all questions media-related and hope this helps you begin brainstorming your style. Burlington, Ontario, serving businesses big and small. Contact us today!