Here is the 10 steps process to follow:
- Collecting Background Info.
- Finding Pivotal Point
- Writing Creative Message
- Creating the Brand Criteria
- Brainstorming and Developing Brand Identities
- Reviewing and Refining
- Selecting the Winning Name
- Developing the Marketing Platform
- Creating the Corporate Identity/Logo
- Finalizing and Transferring all Branding Elements
1. Collecting Background Info.
The branding process begins with a meeting of the key stakeholders. This is where you tell us where you currently stand in the process. You may have already formulated some thoughts and ideas. You might have names that you love but can’t use for various reasons (i.e. trademark conflict, the domain was taken, etc.) Or you may just be at a dead-end, wasting valuable staff time.
In this meeting, we discuss the recommended timelines and milestones. We look at your slide decks, creative briefs, business plans, and any other supporting documentation that would help explain and convey your marketing objectives.
At this point in the process, we’re here to listen, gather information, and ask lots of questions.
2. Finding Pivotal Point
We start by asking you to define your industry. Before branding a company, product, or service, we dig deeper to determine the end benefit, the true value proposition, so that the branding remains anchored, relevant, and timeless. We align your brand identity with your company’s core strengths.
3. Writing Creative Message
The following questions answer and summarize them in a document for you to share and discuss. This will help further guide the naming process.
Now that you have identified your pivot point, your central theme, and mission. Here are the following questions to be answered:
- How do you hope to convey the message?
- What is the personality/temperament of your brand and how do you want it to be perceived?
- Who is your primary and secondary target market?
What type of messaging will most appeal to them?
Any other related discussion need to be clarified in order for the branding process.
4. Creating the Brand Criteria
In order to stay on track, we work with you to prioritize which items in the brand strategy are most important and deserve the most consideration. Is it the overall sound and feel of the name? Is it the meaning behind the name? Is it the need to be unique? Or have an exact matching .com domain name?
There can be any number of drivers in the branding process, but without identifying them, and prioritizing them, the least important factors can inadvertently take precedent over everything else. Establishing what the brand communicates, makes for an efficient branding process, and avoids the tendency to use individual subjectivity as the basis for judgment. This is especially important where group consensus is involved.
5. Brainstorming and Developing Brand Identities
Once we know your business and your message, we brainstorm how best to convey that message. There are a number of branding strategies, each with its own pros and cons. We work with you to determine which branding strategies best suit your needs, then we go to work to find those names. We search through hundreds (and often thousands), of potential brand names to find the ones that best reflect your pivot point, brand message, and meet your brand criteria (i.e. ease of spelling, pronunciation, available trademark, etc.) Once we have a set of 12 to 15 names that meet these objectives, we share a document with you and arrange a time to review. Each potential brand name comes with two to three matching tag lines, a rationale statement detailing how the name could be used to further support and position you in your market, the status of the domain name (i.e. available, parked, for sale, or secured on your behalf).
6. Reviewing and Refining
Oftentimes, in the discussion of the brand names the team will have their “ah-ha!” moment. Someone will share a new twist or insight that transforms a good name into a great one. Or one name sparks a train of thought that leads to other possibilities. That’s the purpose of this process, to help find and define the essence of the brand. Once in a while, a name will pop right out, but most often, one or two of the names begin to rise to the top and make more sense with each discussion. The “story” behind the brand will begin to emerge and the name will gain traction.
7. Selecting the Winning Name
Typically it requires one to three “rounds” of names to uncover the perfect candidate. This can happen simply because it requires contrast and comparison to see the value in a name. It helps to air out each idea: how will the name be used? where will it be seen? how will it be used in a sentence? does it have “verb potential,” etc? There are usually several names that will meet the branding criteria, and then it’s a matter of choosing the one that feels the most fitting and comfortable.
8. Developing the Marketing Platform
We’ll work with you to develop a marketing or language set to further enhance and support your brand message. By developing a language set, you will be able to create a more meaningful brand message, one that highlights your core strengths. This gives your brand message more substance and makes it more engaging and believable.
9. Creating the Corporate Identity/Logo
Once we have the name, tagline, and domain name, we work with you to create a matching logo identity. We’ll evaluate your logo style and determine the best logo treatment to reflect your overall brand message. We’ll provide three to five logos per round, and gather feedback on which one(s) you like best. From there, we fine-tune the logo designs until we have one that complements your brand name. For some clients, it’s all about creating something “eye-popping” and highly visual. For others, it might be more important to communicate trust and credibility. So we tailor the logo to match the specifics of each assignment.
10. Creating the Corporate Identity/Logo
Once the logo is approved, we send you all the files! We’ll also specify the logo font type and the specific colors for future reference. We then transfer over all necessary information and documents for immediate access.
Now you are good to go! You have everything you need for a brilliant brand.
Building the Brand Identity Guide
Branding exists at the heart of any business. Knowing how to cultivate and manage your branding efforts can either make, or break your company. Brand guidelines are a vital part of producing a consistent message for your company, and they’re essential to the success of any modern venture. These rules not only outline your visual appearance, but also your verbal identity too. Brand Identity is like the personality of your company. Within the guidelines for how the world recognizes you, and determines whether or not to trust you. Inconsistency confuses and alienates your customers.
Brand Identity Guidelines:
Help to create a relationship: The connection between brands and customers is strengthened by delivering consistency. Without consistency, customers might begin to lose trust in their brands.
Reduce customer confusion: A clear identity and message is crucial for establishing a long-standing relationship with a customer
Maintain expectations: With guidelines, businesses can ensure that they deliver on internal and external communications, all the way down to the smallest details. Knowing what to expect from a brand can often mean that customers are willing to pay more for services.
Reduce budgetary spend: Knowing exactly what needs to be done to create a consistent brand image is crucial to branding. Brand guidelines can mean that budgetary spending becomes more efficient, and everyone works together to make marketing campaigns more effective.
PERSONAS AND AUDIENCE JOURNEYS
It’s difficult to share a brand’s story without knowing who to share it with. Personas and buyer journeys help your brand to understand how best to convey your brand and connect with key audiences. Personas help paint a clear picture of who your audience members are, so you know who they’re speaking to.
Most personas include:
- Persona Name and Job Title or Role
- Age Range, Income, and Degree
- 3-5 Personality Traits (e.g., practical, strategic, driven)
- Short Bio
- Challenges
- Decision-Drivers