The Weight Room

There seems to be a disconnect between how most people believe a brand is built vs how to actually build a brand. Many small business owners believe that they just need to determine a company name, make a logo, and then call it a day. This could not be further from the truth of how to build a brand effectively.

Big brand names like Apple, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Nike didn’t become the powerhouses of their industries just because they decided that they were going to be the “cooler” companies. Companies like this understand brand building. Their marketers understand that your brand is not whatever you want it to be: your brand is how your consumers perceive you. But how do you get them to perceive your brand’s message the right way and make a good first impression?

Building a strong brand requires much, much more research and careful thought than you may think. For starters, you need to understand your consumers. You cannot develop a strong brand if you do not understand your target audience. You need to understand the competitors in your industry — and brand positioning. Once you understand all of that for your company, you can focus on visual identity, brand voice, persona, etc.

Understanding all of the core concepts of how to build a brand can be summarized into three main truths: the Human Truth, the Category Truth, and the Brand Truth.

Read more