Three tips to build a meaningful brand

Your brand is your most valuable asset – it sets you apart from competitors and reflects what you do and what you stand for. At Barley House Agency we are passionate about creating strong and meaningful brands for our clients. Here are our top three tips for building a great brand.

1. Do your research
The first step should always be research. Many factors influence the type of brand you’ll want to create. Key areas to research are:

• Target audience – Different audiences have different needs. You’ll need to understand who your audience are to create a brand that is appealing and meaningful to them.

• Value proposition – This is about finding what it is that makes your business unique. Why do your customers come to you? What can you offer your customers that your competitors can’t?

• Mission – A clear mission statement that outlines the vision and objectives of your company is a must. How can you create a brand identity if you don’t know what your company is about or what it’s trying to achieve?

2. A brand is more than just a logo
This stage is where your brand comes to life! When people think of branding they immediately think logo. Designing a logo is a complex task worthy of its own blog post (look out for this!), so let’s just say it’s worth getting someone experienced to take on the task.

While the logo is a key element, it’s by no means the only thing that defines a brand. People now engage with a brand through a huge range of touchpoints and the logo is not always their first point of contact with a brand. Consider other ways that people may experience your brand, which brings us to…

Brand personality. The brand’s tone of voice should reflect the brand you want to create and resonate with your audience. A financial services company will use a professional tone, whereas a fashion retailer communicating with teenagers will have a much more casual tone of voice.

3. Consistency is key
It’s vital that your brand identity is applied consistently throughout all areas of your business – online and offline. If you haven’t done so already we recommend creating a set of brand guidelines and a range of templates for regular communications such as email signatures and stationary.

An audit of all online and offline branded communications can also prove invaluable in creating a consistent brand. Start by listing all areas where your brand is present – no matter how big or small.

You’ll be surprised to see just how many areas your brand is present. Once you have created your list you’ll need to go through each item and ensure they reflect the brand identity in line with your brand guidelines.

So there you have it – follow the steps above and you’ll be well on the way to creating a valuable brand.

Need help with your branding? Our talented and experienced team would love to help! click here to take a look at some of our recent work and give us a call, or drop us an email at hello@barleyhouse.agency.