Learn about your competition
The Smartest People In The World Work With The Bureau Of Small Projects. Literally rocket scientists and brain surgeons: Bill Nye, The Science Guy (CEO of the Planetary Society), Stanford University and Switzerland (yes, the actual country).
And smart people know that step one is ALWAYS to understand your competitors. That’s why we start with a Landscape Analysis. To build a solid foundation we need to understand the competitive landscape, so we carefully research your target market, see who your competitors are and learn what they do well and what they do poorly. We need to know what your competitors do well because you need to be at least as good as they are and knowing what they do poorly lets us spot opportunity and low hanging fruit. Many of our clients are Nonprofits and Startups with a product that never existed before. Because of this they don’t think they have competitors. But a competitor is not an organization doing the same thing as you do. A competitor is any person or organization taking business, donations or membership away from you.
Focus on what it is that makes you different and better than your competition
Most branding agencies focus on your brand story, which will make YOU feel good. And while your Brand Story is important, first you need your customers, clients and members to understand what is it that makes your organization different and better than the competition. This is the key to everything and the reason for them to buy your products, services or join your organization. And if you can do it well, all you need to do is get it out in front of people and they will flock to you.
The good news is, never in the history of the universe have there been more ways to get your message in front of people. our website of course, including blog posts, case studies and white papers, social media, Email newsletters and campaigns, co-hosting events, Workshops, panels, community meetings, conferences, webinars, articles, interviews, podcasts, and local news features, google Search ads, display ads, podcast ads, sponsorships, traditional media like radio, television spots, billboards, brochures, reports, posters, signage, direct mail, grassroots campaigns, local bulletin boards, faith-based groups, schools, civic organizations can be powerful channels (especially for nonprofits). With new channels being invented every day, the list is literally endless.
But don’t confuse simple with easy. Defining what makes you different and better than your competition is a lot like the game of GO. It is a question that takes a second to ask and a lifetime to answer. Fortunately everyone on our team has Fortune 500 and Big Brand experience. We leverage their branding skills to help Startups, Nonprofits and Businesses create attractors that bring business to you!
Tell Your Brand Story
Patience is a super power. Only after you understand what your competitors do well and what they do poorly and can articulate what it is that you do differently and better than they do, it is time to tell YOUR story.
Your Different and Better explains WHAT you do, your story tells people WHY you do it. People are story tellers by nature. It’s hardwired into our DNA. While being different and better definitely gives you an edge the reason WHY you do business instills trust and shows your customers that you care about them. Trust and caring of course is critical to the lifetime value of your customers.
Learn about your competition. Say what you do differently and better than these organizations you just learned about, then tell your story. Your Brand story completes the trifecta. These 3 steps set the strategic foundation for everything else and will make marketing exponentially simpler (and who doesn’t like simple).
Your Brand Story is not only a great way to persuade new customers to join your community but it is also a great way to remind your current customers why they love you. After all it’s a whole lot easier to keep the customers, clients and members you have than to always be looking for new ones.
Create Your Business or Product Name
No organization will use anything as often as they use their name. Every business card, webpage, ad, business listing and sales pitch will prominently feature their name.
Now it’s time to put that Value Proposition to work.
“You know your Value Proposition is working when it takes over and makes the decisions for you.”
– Axel Aubrun, Ph.D., Founder, Topos Partnership
Find a name that works for you. One that encapsulates what it is that you do differently and better. Once you have identified your competition, crafted a compelling value proposition and a heart-warming story, you have a solid foundation to craft a name that sticks. A good name differentiates your brand from the competition, it works into our cultural consciousness, it accrues honor and positive associations, it sets a tone for a relationship with the buyer, and it represents the entity to a massive degree in the minds of consumers.
The naming process is very personal, but also has a legal aspect to it. It’s not as simple as just coming up with a great name, we have to make sure it’s not being used by someone else in your sector – and what is even more difficult – we need to secure the domain name or come up with a compelling and memorable url.
Create Your slogan
An effective name must be compact yet loaded with a lot of potential meaning in a small space. Slogans and taglines, by comparison, can have almost any format. They can be longer, more complex or very short and telegraphic. They can be humorous or descriptive of complex qualities or benefits — or they may be very suggestive and abstract.
Your slogan is a one sentence encapsulation of your Value Proposition. What you do differently and BETTER than your competition. The purpose of your name is so people remember you. The purpose of your slogan is to SELL.
Your slogan tells people the why: Why they should do business with you. Why they should buy your product. Why they should CARE.
Design Your Logo And Develop The Visual Identity
It’s not enough to have a recognizable name, you also need a recognizable logo, fonts and colors. The most basic definition of branding is “the promise you make to your customers” and your logo is your stamp of approval, like the brand ranchers put on their cattle (and where the term branding comes from).
Don’t think that you need a symbol or mascot either. Some of the most recognizable brands use just text for their logo. This is especially powerful when you have a catchy name.
Fonts and colors are equally crucial to a brand because they create visual consistency, making it easier for customers to instantly recognize and remember your brand. A well-chosen color palette communicates emotion and personality. Fonts work in a similar way: sleek sans-serifs might convey modernity and innovation, while elegant serifs can suggest tradition and authority. Together, these choices shape the subconscious impressions customers form before they even read a word of the message.
Launching Your Brand
This is where it all comes together. Quality design should be part of everything you produce. Your website, marketing materials, ads, packaging, pitch decks, vehicles, signage, the list goes on and on. So once you have the basics of your brand defined you need to create a document that you can use as a guide for yourself and others to ensure that there is consistency when developing these items and getting your brand out in the real world.
Basic brand guidelines document how to use your logo (and how not to use your logo) as well as the fonts for your brand and your brand colors in different formats. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) for offset printing, RGB (Red, Green, Blue) for video and Hex (Hexadecimal code) for digital applications.
More sophisticated brand guidelines will include your value proposition, writing styles, customer personas, hashtags for social media, icons, photography styles, illustration guidelines, stationery templates, email footers, website stylesheets, signage rules, packaging rules and much more.
