If you are at your first startup, the concept of branding can certainly intimidate you, especially if you have never had the opportunity to go through such a process before.
From our experience with entrepreneurs at the beginning of the road, we have found that branding is associated with a logo design on a business card and, more recently, with a website. Very rarely is it understood that a sequence of actions designed to discover and articulate the idea that inspires entrepreneurs to believe in business, the values that speak to their conduct in business and the promise of value they make to their consumers.
Without putting these things in order and without making them work in harmony with each other, identity will not be noticed, communication with consumers, employees and investors will not be effective, and the brand will not capitalize.
The role of branding goes beyond the visual part with which it is predominantly associated. From how the purpose is formulated, to the letter with which the logo is drawn, or the slogan, to the experience with the website, it is vital that the brand is thought out and drawn consistently so that your business can rely on it.
This article aims to introduce you to aspects of branding to help you understand its purpose, why it needs to be carried out in a certain sequence of actions, so that you are aware of it when you decide to invest in the branding of your startup.
BASIC PACKAGE FOR STARTUP BRANDING
Here, what the basic package for branding a young startup consists of.
- Brand strategy
- Company or product name (where applicable)
- Messages and tone of voice (verbal expression) of the brand
- Visual identity (logo, letter, colors)
- Design of marketing materials (business card, letterhead, presentation brochure, social media)
- Website design/Landing page
Obtaining, as a result of a branding action, one or only a few of these elements, significantly reduces the impact of the brand on the business and makes the investment not bring the expected results.
Next, you will find in detail each element of the branding package recommended for startups and their purpose.
Brand strategy
The strategy answers the essential questions on which a business is based, WHY, HOW and WHAT.
WHY does the business exist, what are its impact and contribution above financial results, HOW does it do things differently, what does it have to offer in concrete terms? In order for these questions to be answered, the branding team organizes and conducts meetings and discussions with the client team, interviews with consumers, analyzes the needs and expectations of the consumer, the market and the industry. Strategy is an irreplaceable step in brand development, whether you do it yourself or create it with specialists. It is the source from which the company's vision is created, its name, the messages launched in the communication, the visual identity and the way in which the presentation materials are personalized.
Company name
In order for the name of a company or product to remain relevant throughout the life of the business, it is imperative that it reflects the contribution that the business or product makes to a larger level. This means that it should be created with the future aspiration of the business formulated. If you call your startup Business Information System, out of a desire for your customers to understand what kind of services you offer, consider that you missed the chance to leave an impression from the very first pronunciation of it. Not only because it could be a generic name, made up of ultra-catchy words in the category, that could cause you trouble registering your brand, but especially because it fails to say anything about the contribution that your business is proposing. If instead of Business Information System you were introduced to Allevo, what impression would it make to you? Would it make you curious to learn more? Would it leave a positive impression on you? Which of the two would you remember more easily? And how would you do that? What would you think of when you come into contact with the name Allevo? Perhaps it would leave a positive, optimistic impression or perhaps even that you would receive the message of growth and development, with which the company strives to contribute in the environment in which it operates.
Brand messages and tone of voice
Once you have formulated the information about the business (WHY?, HOW?, WHAT?) in the strategy, it must be adapted (written) according to the interests of different types of audiences in relation to your brand: consumers, investors, employees, media, etc. Each of these audiences has its own “agenda”. Consumers want to hear how you make their lives easier, investors want to hear what mechanism can drive the company's growth in the future, or the media wants to understand what kind of organization you are building. The purpose of this activity is to develop attractive messages for each type of audience, some of which will be taken up in sales speeches, job interviews, press announcements or in the design of communication materials (e.g. website, social media posts, online banners, etc.) to be developed after the end of this activity.
Visual identity
From this moment, the visual construction of the brand begins. If we consider that strategy, names and messages form the core of the brand expressed in the form of words (on the principle “in the beginning was the word”), visual identity opens the ground for the first “palpable” form of brand representation: the logo.
Visual identity is the element with which all communication materials are marked, in order to make the brand easy to identify and recognize. A strategically drawn visual identity puts the brand's story at the forefront, gives it style and consistency. Each element of a visual identity (symbol, letter, colors) is designed to preserve its integrity, regardless of the possibilities of presentation: print, digital, video, etc.
Marketing Material Design
For this stage to begin, there needs to be messages and visual identity. Together they will give rise to any communication material (business card, letterhead, presentation brochure, social media). The exploration and development of marketing materials will generate the design rules: what is the ratio between the primary color and secondary colors, what graphics can we intervene with to ensure harmony with the logo, what font we use in print, what font we use in the digital environment, etc. All designed to create coherent materials and deliver brand messages efficiently.
Website design
Assuming that in the start-up phase of the startup not all the details of the products or services are established, this should not be a hindrance in creating a microsite or landing page. With the messages already formulated and the design style created for the marketing materials, a website can be built that conveys brand confidence and becomes a communication bridge with all brand audiences (consumers, investors, employees, media, etc.).
STARTUP BRANDING AT THE RIGHT TIME
All the details shared in this article will help you have a more complete picture of startup branding.
Every business is different and there is no single solution that applies to all contexts in which a startup is located. Maybe you have people on your team who can develop your brand strategy, or maybe you have a name that meets your long-term vision.
It is important to budget correctly both the time you could devote to branding your startup and the money. Investing too much in the early stages of your business can drain your business of resources needed to develop products and services. While investing too little or too late can make your startup fail to grow or not be able to attract the investment needed for development.
Startup branding packages depend a lot on the industry and category in which the company operates, how well established it is, the stage of development in which the startup is located, the complexity of the product and service portfolio, etc.
If you have a startup in its infancy, you might be interested in our new Brandfusion Booster branding package.
Whether you have a small startup or are looking to attract serious investment and grow quickly, remember that your brand makes the difference between success and failure.