3 Critical Branding Tips for Startups

You can't whip up a perfect brand ove ight. It simply doesn't work like that. Even if you employ the best creatives in the world, branding your startup isn't something that can be perfected in one fell swoop prior to launch. Building a strong brand identity can take years. As your startup grows, you'll find yourself constantly tweaking and re-tweaking your brand. Developing and maintaining a strong brand is a task that never really ends. This doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to branding during the early stages of developing your business, however. Many entrepreneurs have made the mistake of not paying enough attention to the most basic, yet critical aspects of branding - until it's too late. Unsure of what they're trying to achieve, these business founders soon flounder, winding up with half-baked, wishy washy, inconsistent branding they don't even believe in themselves. Not a promising sign! Don't leave branding your startup for tomorrow's to-do list. Instead, think carefully about branding from day one. Be sure to suss out the most critical aspects of branding sooner, rather than later. You'll find it makes your branding journey a whole lot easier. Here are three top tips to consider:

Define your brand style

Ensure you have a general style in mind before you start branding. Decide which of the following five styles best fits your business: - Classic: Are you going for a traditional, serious, or elegant vibe? - Clever: Perhaps being sharp and relying on wit and whimsy is your thing? - Emotional: Do you want your brand to provoke certain feelings? - Experiential: Your brand is going to anchor itself on descriptive or visual elements - Intriguing: Your business relies on being provocative, interesting or thought-provoking Defining your brand style is important as it provides a key reference point as you continue your journey to establish a strong brand identity. Knowing your style and constantly referring back to it helps anchor you as you continue striving to develop a consistent, authentic and sustainable brand.

Pick the perfect name

Branding begins with the name you pick. It's super important you get the tone just right. You also want to make sure the chosen moniker sticks easily in the minds of potential customers or clients. Remember - and this is no exaggeration – the name of your startup could be the key to its successful launch, or, conversely, the sole reason the venture flops. Therefore, the importance of selecting an appropriate name cannot be overstated. As well as something memorable, you ideally want the name of your startup to be both catchy and unique, whilst also fitting neatly into whichever brand style category you are going for. Naming a new business can be much more difficult and time consuming than it looks. Not only do you have to come up with an awesome and original idea, there are issues to contend with, such as domain name availability and Trademark troubles.

Invest in a great logo & tagline

After your business name, the next branding elements your customers will see and judge are your logo and tagline. It's crucial these make a real impact if you're to attract the business you need to survive and prosper. You don't want to have found the perfect name, only to be let down by an unprofessional or unappealing logo. Colors, fonts and all visual elements of a logo should be in line with the overall brand identity you aim to develop. Unless you're a talented designer, don't attempt to design your own logo. There's no need to splash out on an expensive branding agency, either. Logo designers can be hired easily on the web for a very reasonable fee. Always check out their previous work and feedback and seek work from several freelancers if possible. Ensure to provide them with key information about your startup, including a description of the style you committed to. Remember, a tagline, (or slogan) should ideally both inform and entice customers, letting them know more about what benefits you can provide them and/or provide an insight into the personality of your brand. A tagline shouldn't be long – most are 2-6 words. It's possible to come up with an effective tagline yourself. The key is to identify what makes your business unique and communicate that to your audience in a clear, personable way. Now you've covered the three most critical branding aspects, you're well on the way to successfully developing a strong brand identity.