How to build a brand, what is branding? The brand is the make of a product; branding is the reputation of that make. However, the word BRAND has its significance because brand means grand in people’s mind. For instance, we look at MacDonald’s or Subway logo instead of looking for an EXIT to stop and refresh in a long drive. Do you need any other classic example than this? Well, how to build branding in early days of a startup. It is a big topic to discuss, let me put it as short as possible in this article.

Ideally, it takes minimum 5- 10 years to build such a great brand. However, the majority of the startups don’t have that luxury to wait years together in the current scenario. Consequently, these guys should understand quick how to build a brand. To my knowledge building, a brand is in two ways 1. Building brand in customer’s mind 2. Building brand in customer’s heart. The second point doesn’t have any short ways. You need to be patient 🙂 However, let me take up the first point.

How to build a brand in customer’s mind:

Brand building in mind is the first step to building in the heart as building in heart takes longer time. How to do? What is the process?

Create a logo:

Creating a logo is first to step to create an identity of business. If possible represent your product in it, as I said in my earlier articles keep it simple and use just two colors, so it looks cute and minimizes cost in printing and branding. The logo is a unique identity, maintain consistency in colors and text/picture otherwise, you can’t carry any value to it.

How to build a brand by Identifying target set of customers:

Identify target audience is another important activity for any business. You need to let everyone knows about your existence. I would suggest list out few physical and virtual points to reach your target customers. Based on the nature of business It could be malls, social media, etc. Demonstrate them about the product and convince them with uniqueness.

Create the trust to the customer:

Building trust is long term activity. I would suggest start with a promise which you can fulfill without fail. It is the first step having to bond with the customer. For instance, a newly launched product provide more warranty period than existing products to create trust.

Stick to something you believe in:

Criticism is quite common in life, and it is pretty easy than provide support. People will criticize and suggest you many things. However, stick to something which you believe in and keep improve the product/service based on accurate feedback. Apparently, don’t follow or mimic established brand. Set your path and style to penetrate, otherwise, you will remain as a copy cat. To my knowledge, this is the best way how to build a brand.

Create a right brand strategy:

We have four steps to create a brand strategy with a different set of activities based on the phase of business.

Identity (Salience)–> Need to plan branding activities to create an identity.

Meaning –> Need to plan branding activities based on the performance of the brand.

3.Response–> Activities based on the customer feedback and improvement.

Relationship–> Build a strong mechanism to keep the relationship safe forever.

Every startup should start the journey from the bottom of the pyramid to create an identity of a brand. Come up with multiple ways to reach customers based on target customers to create the first step.

Don’t forget your branding in communication:

Put your logo, consider embedding description about the product, deals of product somewhere in the conversation gently. Your logo and product have to be registered in the mind.

Never leave the customer in the middle:

The best branding every company should do is: When a customer is being struggled with your product, be with him, don’t leave in the middle, support him take the product back and fix the problem, This is the only way of creating confidence to the customer.

Dear entrepreneurs, please be aware branding doesn’t mean pure sales. It creates identification and awareness. Don’t expect immediate returns on investment in branding as it works as slow poison. The awareness or identification that you are creating today may convert as a lead tomorrow, a week later or a month later. Customer should realize that your existence when they need, this is one of the better ways how to build a brand

The Rich way of creating a brand at initial stages:

Finally, if you got good seed fund and you are pretty confident about the product. Engage a celebrity who already has self-branding as brand ambassador, spend good money on PR activities and launch the product in a big way. This action purely depends on the nature of the product, available funds otherwise I don’t suggest.