The world of brand building can be a daunting world for many small businesses. However, all brands have to start somewhere. Knowing where to begin with your brand building can be all you need to build that global brand you desire. A strong brand foundation helps with differentiation, marketing, and customer loyalty, so it’s something you should invest in for your business’s longevity.

At Noramble, we use a brand basics formula with our clients to help find their first voices, help them pivot to a new market or help overcome whatever challenges they may face. We start with three main areas, which will be explained below.

Our brand is for people who…

The first part of the formula is about defining your brand’s target audience. By asking yourself the question, “Our brand is for people who…” it forces you to ask some profound questions about who your brand is targeting. Here are a few questions to ask when establishing your audience.

• What are their goals?
• Why will they care?
• Where do they come from?
• What do they do?
• What are their aspirations?
• What do they struggle with?

Having a well-defined target audience helps niche your business down into what matters most to those people. A defined audience encourages you to pinpoint your audiences pain points and challenges, allowing you to create more compelling marketing and advertising.

Our brand core consists of…

Once you know who your brand is targeting, you can start to establish your brand core. The brand core makes your brand humanised and helps your customers connect to the brand on a deeper level.

Every strong brand has a mission, values and purpose. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to get started.

• Why do we exist?
• What does the future look like to us?
• How do we create that future?
• What do we stand for?
• What do we do beyond making money?

Having a compelling answer to these questions will allow your customers and audience to connect with your brand on a deeper level than just buying your products or services.

We do things differently…

A colossal aspect of a strong brand is one that is effectively differentiated. Every person on earth is different in more ways than one – brands are alike.

So, the need to differentiate to help stand out and be seen is more and more essential. Start by asking yourself some of these questions to help find your differentiator.

• What do we do differently?
• What do my competitors do differently?
• What are the unmet needs of our customers?
• What do our customers care about most?
• Can we do something better than our competitors?

A well-differentiated brand will help with your marketing efforts, and this becomes the forefront of your marketing message to your audience. It helps your marketing and brand be more impactful; it also gives your audience a reason to choose you over your competitors.

In conclusion

While these three aspects don’t result in a strong brand, they will help build the foundations for one. A strong brand takes time to develop and nurture. Having these foundations in place will make brand building decisions much more effortless. It will also give you more confidence in your business and brand as a whole.