Your 2020 Branding Checklist

One of the most common mistakes businesses make as they try to grow is to put the cart before the horse. They want to push forward with marketing by advertising their business on social media, emailing platforms, other websites, billboards, the radio, and more. As important as it is to have a robust marketing strategy, you will get a better return if you take the time to define your brand first.

McCauley Marketing Services has been helping our clients develop their brands and market them for 20 years. If you want to have a stronger, more consistent and memorable brand this year, start with this basic checklist.

Do you know who your target customers are?

You want your business to feel like a true representation of your vision, but of course, you need it to appeal to customers as well. After all, you cannot have a business for long if you do not attract the right customers. The first step toward deciding how to appeal to customers is to find out who those customers are and what their tastes are.

One helpful strategy is to create full profiles for fictional customers. For instance, perhaps your business is a pediatric practice. Think up a fake customer with a name like “Brenda.” Brenda may be a mom with an infant and a toddler, who works full-time. Delve deeper into the image of Brenda and think about what she wants from a pediatrician, how she spends her time, and what she wants for her children’s health. Or, perhaps your business is a dermatology practice. One of your target customers might be “Janet,” who has strong ambitions in her career and wants to keep a youthful look to stay at the top of her game.

Do you know how you want your customers to feel?

Now that you know who your customers are, you need to create a well-defined brand that appeals to them. This tends to start with an abstract idea; it’s all about atmospheres and feelings.

How do you want customers to feel when they hear your brand’s name or walk through your doors? Do you want them to feel modern, high-end, and luxurious? Do you want them to feel cozy and at-home, as if they’re part of the family? That feeling you want to create is what will guide the rest of your branding.

Do you have distinct visual branding standards?

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that is often true when it comes to branding. To portray your brand in the images you use within your business, as well as the images you use in your marketing materials, you need to start with the basics. Come up with a color palette that matches your brand and its personality, as well as several fonts and pictures that match as well.

This doesn’t mean that you need to use strictly those fonts. However, when you combine all of these visual elements together, it creates a visual image of your brand. These are the building blocks your graphic designer should use to create your logo. Once your logo is created, then you can move on to branding your website, your print materials, and more.

Do you have a written voice that fits with your brand?

Written content is an essential part of branding. The way you “speak” within your writing on your website, your social media profiles, your print ads, and other marketing materials should create the same feel as your brand. For instance, if your brand is casual and youthful, using modern slang can create that tone.

Creating a brand is a more work-intensive process than most businesses realize, and it also has a larger impact on their future than they expect. Taking the time to work through the checklist above and develop a well-defined brand will allow you to connect with the right customers because they know who you are and what you value, rather than picturing you as a nameless, faceless business. For help developing your brand or putting that brand to use with skillful marketing, call McCauley Marketing Services today to schedule a meeting. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more branding and marketing tips.