The first thing that might come to mind when you think of branding is the logo or colors. It is in fact much more than just how recognizable your brand is. It’s about bringing to sense the impact you have on a customer and what message you are trying to send. It’s like when meeting someone new for the first time. Your first impression matters the most since that’s the main idea the customer will have from the get go.

1. Clearly identity who you are

Don’t just think about the name or the graphics, you need to think what can you create that will give a story. It’s like giving a glimpse of what you are all about in a short amount of time. Imagine your company name, logo and slogan and how it can provide insights into what you do and the products or services you offer. If you don’t, that means you will have to spend a lot more time explaining what you are all about. Now, let’s say you sell wooden clocks. Your name doesn’t have to include the specific keywords that describe you business, but it would sure help to instantly let customers know what you are all about.

2. Make it simple & stupid

You don’t have to over think it, just make it in a way that is so easy to understand what you do. Playing on word play or clever names can sometimes be detrimental as people have to stop to think. If they can look, hear or read it and understand right off the bat what it means, you will have an easy in the future, especially when it comes down to marketing. If it’s not easy to understand just by looking at it (ie pepsi), you then need to spend time for people to understand what the words are and what defines you.

3. Tell a story with your brand

Having a name, slogan & your logo tell a story is a great way to engage customers with your brand. Making sure it’s a clear message behind your business will allow customers to understand more what your company is all about.

4. Put yourself in your customers shoes

By this, we mean instead of building your brand with your mind of an entrepreneur, try to see it with the customer’s eyes. It would not make sense to have a high end aesthetics look & feel to a company that sells made in china cheap items. You need to make sure it resonates with your chosen clientele. So you should think of it this way, imagine what your customers are and build it around that idea. What type of customers you want to attract and what would attract them to your brand.

There’s always a lot to think of when you are building your brand. You can read all those tips and tricks and listen to every professional advice out there, it does not mean it would succeed. So at the end of the day, don’t stress about it all, but it’s ok to read and be more informed about the decision you want to take. It’s your business after all!