Step 1: Discover Your Purpose

Every successful brand has a powerful purpose behind it. As Simon Sinek said, “People don’t buy what
you do; they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everybody that needs what you have.
The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.”

Hence, it is essential to answer the following four questions while defining the brand purpose to ensure
the effectiveness of the branding strategy.

1. Why do you exist?

2. What differentiates you?
3. What problem do you solve?
4. Why should people care?

These answers give ideas to form the foundation of the branding strategy.

Step 2: Market Research

 Audience: It is very important to know exactly what target audience is being focused. It should
start by targeting only a specific niche audience, first. It is essential to know the age, gender,
location, income and education level etc. of the target audience. It ensures that the brand message
comes across crystal clear to the intended recipient. However, with time, it tends to expand as
brand loyalty grows.
Identifying the target audience for your services or products is an exercise that will affect and
benefit all areas of your brand building process, particularly marketing efforts. It needs to be made
sure that the content reaches the right people at the right time.
 Competition: No brand should ever imitate exactly what another big brand is doing in the industry.
However, at the same time, it is important to be aware of what they do well or where they fail. It is
important to differentiate your brand from the competitors’. The ultimate goal is to convince a
customer to purchase from you over them!
 SWOT Analysis: Internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats should be
taken into consideration to make better use of the available resources.

Step 3: Build a Mission Statement

The mission statement is the purpose for the brand to exist and what value it provides. Everything from
the logo to the tagline, voice, message, and personality should reflect that mission.

The mission statement should be able to convince your target audience to choose your brand over
another competing brand in the market.

For Example, Nike’s mission statement is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the
world.” it further goes on to add; “If you have a body, you are an athlete”. Their mission can be seen
everywhere. They focus on all types of athletes using Nike products. The company has built up such a
reputation and brand following, that it’s able to increase the target to accommodate every “body”.

Step 4: Build a brand story and messaging

This part of the brand development process defines the key aspects of:
  Who are you?
 What do you offer?
 Why should people care?

A brand story is an opportunity to communicate on a human level, making a direct

emotional connection with your consumers. Connecting with your prospects before going in
for the hard sell builds trust, and helps your prospect have a more positive experience with your
company’s brand

Moreover, people love stories that move them - emotionally and to action. A strong brand identity can
establish an emotional connection with consumers, which can be a solid foundation for building a lasting
relationship with a brand.

For example, TOMS Shoes clearly defines their message through every touchpoint a consumer has with
the brand: “Improving lives. With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for
One.”

Step 5: Create a Brand Logo and Tagline

Visuals are very important when it comes to building a brand. The logo will appear on everything that
relates to the business. It will become the identity and the visual recognition of your promise.

Moreover, the product itself, its packaging, or the way its presented - all play a part in your brand
identity. Visually representing your business in everything you do will create consistency and help create
a familiarity with your consumers.

McDonald, the globally leading fast-food chain, has used an interesting form to create the iconic "M,"
which is now recognizable all over the world.

Step 6: Integrate the Brand in the Community

Now that the brand has been established within the company, the next step is to integrate the brand
within the community and one of the most successful ways to accomplish this is for your brand to
provide quality content.

 Language: Choose a language that matches the personality of the brand. If the brand identity is
high-end, professional language should be used. However, if the brand is laid-back, the language
can be more conversational. The chosen language will be integrated throughout the entire
business; hence, it is important that the tone correctly matches the personality of the brand.
 Advertisements: whether traditional or digital, advertising is the most efficient way of
introducing a brand to the world. It's a way to get the message of the brand seen and heard by
your target audience. However, it may not always be budget friendly.
 Social Media: Another way to establish a connection with your consumers is through social
media. It is relatively cheaper and offers up a ton of digital platforms to interact with your
audience and establish the brands identity. It also offers direct, two-way communication with
the audience.

https://blog.hubspot.com/agency/develop-brand-identity

https://freshsparks.com/successful-brand-building-process/