Build Your Brand Foundation

Welcome to episode 2 of Market It! the podcast that inspires and guides authentic entrepreneurs to build the soulful brand of their dreams and lead a purpose-driven business.

So, you're building a brand. You've got the juices flowing and are ready to get out into the world—but where do you start? Tune in as we discuss the 5 key steps to laying the foundation for your dream brand.

Download your Dream Brand Guide, a workbook that guides you through brand strategy basics so your brand can have a strong foundation.

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At AHBC Group, we are passionate about helping entrepreneurs launch and grow a brand that is authentic to them, their purpose, and their audience. We enjoy working with entrepreneurs who have a strong purpose, a clear vision and who are animated by ethical, eco-conscious, and inclusive values, who like to challenge the status quo, and are not afraid to build a truly unique brand. If that sounds like you and you would like to discuss your project with us, apply here!

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Transcript

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It's okay, if some people hate it. Like that's good, because it means that some people will actually love it, take a step back and really think about those five key things that will be the foundation for your dream brand. Hello, everyone, my name is Anne, I am your host and the founder of AHBC Group. AHBC Group is a branding and marketing agency that helps authentic entrepreneurs build soulful brands. And today's episode is all about building that strong brand foundation. So you'll see it's really about everything that's foundational to your brand, and nothing really operational yet, that will be for another episode. So let's get right to it. I think there's five key steps to really building a strong brand foundation. So basically, you know, you want to build a brand, you've got the juices flowing, you ready to get it out into the world. But where do you start, and I think one of the main things that you should avoid and that you're going to want to do is start right away with something like getting something out of it, like, let's say your logo or designing stuff, or like you want to have something concrete, usually when you're starting to build a brand. And I would encourage you to take a step back and really think about those five key things that will be the foundation for your dream brand. It doesn't have to be super long, or tedious or take like a month to define that you can work on it, like spend an hour work on it, and then you move on to everything else that will bring that to life. And you probably already have some idea of it in your in your head if you're thinking of that brand. But maybe there are some gaps stuff that you didn't think about. So you want to fill those gaps. And maybe you'll instantly think of those things. And I just encourage you to write that down. And you'll be done with it. And you can move on to the rest. If you've already worked on your brand. And you're like further along, can just take a little step back and figure out if there are things that need your attention that maybe you hadn't thought of setting up or thought about them before you went into like graphic design or your visual identity, or setting up social media or building your site. And maybe you have a gap there that you want to really think about those things. And then you can fill the gap on your media, on your website, wherever you're present with your brand. So number one step to building a strong brand foundation is to focus on your offer. So in the marketing mix, we learn that the first thing that we include, so we have what everyone thinks about and what sometimes comes to mind first is the promotion part. So what is out in the world, but the very first first thing will be your product, if we're talking about like the old school marketing. So we have product price, distribution and promotion. And the first thing is your product. So that's your offer. So really think about what you're selling, what you're offering, and who is it for. You want something that solves a problem for someone. And basically, that's it. So what are you doing? Or what's a problem? And how are you solving it? So that's it. It just has to be that nothing super fancy. But sometimes they're like, actually a lot of businesses that will not really think of that or don't have a problem that's important enough, or where there's really like a problem. And so that doesn't, that will not work. So yeah, you want to you can't really be everything to everyone, so you want to focus on finding one specific group of people who need what you're offering. And so usually, unless you're, let's say, a service provider, like we are, maybe that's something that you're the target for. So that's something that you realize is missing that you wish that product would exist or that service and so you're going to build it and also it doesn't have to be completely brand new, it's just like for instance, there are so many copywriters, but there's a need for copywriting. So it's all about the market and like there's a need for that. And you're offering that, it doesn't have to be brand new or you don't have to invent anything, just what's the problem? How are you solving it? And if you want to go further with that same example, you're a copywriter, and you want to target I don't know, pharmaceutical companies, because you feel like there's a lack of good copywriting in that specific industry. It doesn't have to be industry based, but it can be something else like a copywriter, and you write in that specific style, or for those specific mediums. So that was step number one. So that's to really focus on your offer. Number two, the second key step to building a strong brand Foundation is to differentiate. So you really want to work on your positioning and see how you're going to differentiate your brand from your competitors because that's basically what a brand is, like how you're different from others. When I say that, first of all, it doesn't have to be anything huge reinventing the wheel, anything crazy, like you're inventing something, it doesn't have to be that at all, what you want to do is basically figure out what your competitors are either doing communicating on, so it can be from your, your offer your services. But what sets you apart from the competition can also be in your target market in the way you're bringing your offers to the table, or yeah, just in the tone, you'll use, let's say you have a competitor, basically, you're doing the exact same thing. But the tone that your brand will have, will be slightly different. And so it will resonate with your audience and your specific target more than they do. It can be really something slight, but it has to you have to have it in mind and know what it is that really differentiates you. Otherwise, you cannot really hone in on that. Basically, something should be different. So you can really stand out and be memorable as a brand. Third step to building a strong brand foundation, I think is to really have a plan, it's going to be really hard to be successful in business, if you have no brand. Building a brand is tough and time consuming. But you don't have to, to make it over complicated if like, especially if you're just beginning and like launching the brand, there's just very few things that you need to figure it out to be able to say that you have a plan and for you to know where you're going, at least for the first few months. So the first one for me would be to figure out your purpose and business objectives. And your purpose and business objectives are going to be your why. So the purpose is really your why but like, why are you launching this business? And this ultimately comes down to like your offer, but it's way larger than your offer? It's why do you feel the need to launch this brand and usually it's my offering will bring 'that' to these people who are underserved right now. So it's kind of a mix of the two first things that we discussed, like the the focus on your offer and differentiating, usually, you'll find those in your why and in your purpose. And then business objectives is just for you to say like, Okay, I want the business to reach this number or this number or reach this many people in my first few months. So something a bit more, your why is really broad. And it doesn't have to change over time and your business objectives will change and they have a fixed end date and your purpose you wanted to be basically it could be the same in like 10 years. The second thing for your plan is your targets. So who is this for? Who are you targeting with this offering with this product with the service and for that If you want to be really specific, if possible, it can be broad to begin and you'll have like a general idea. But I really encourage you to be as specific as you can because it will make it way easier for you, when you're, let's say, writing content and like figuring out everything else your offers and everything, you can really tweak them and make them really memorable to those people. And then it doesn't mean that other people will not at all approach your brand, but you really want like, if something is too vague, it's not memorable. It doesn't speak to anyone, and everyone kind of likes it. It's okay, if some people hate it, like, that's good, because it means that some people will actually love it. And that's what you want. So really figure out who? And yeah, you can work on a persona. So that's really someone that you're thinking of someone individual, and you're basically even like naming them, and what are they doing for like a job and everything. And the idea is for them to be representative of that key target, and key audience. And that will make everything so much easier for you in terms of decision making for your brand, because you have them in mind and someone specific, and also when creating content. So let's say for your website, or social media, sometimes you have no idea like what to post what to write. And if you have one specific person in mind, then it doesn't become that huge thing. That's daunting, like talking to your, I don't know, let's say even like 200 followers, like, it's like talking to a crowd of 200 people. And he's just like, oh, I'm talking with that one friend, or that one customer that I have in mind. So it's way easier to talk to them and also the way the tone and the way in which you will address your audience will seem a lot more personable and authentic that way. Number three, in having a plan, and crafting your plan will be your offer. So we already like discuss that your what so that you should include in your plan and we covered that in the first point where you can really detail it and have it like written down. Number four will be when so that when are you launching and then I think we'll we'll do another podcast about the really the operations like leading up to the launch date. What should you have in place like operationally, really before you launch? Or like right after? Like, how do you organize everything? Because I know it can be like super overwhelming, like, there's so much to do, and what do you prioritize? And what should you like really focus on. So that's your when, and then you may also have key periods in your business that are really important. So let's say you're working on a apparel brand, like custom T shirts, whatever. And you have kind of a seasonality. So you want to do something for Halloween. So that's something that you can kind of organize yourself and know like at this, this this date, I need to do something specific. And then the last one about the plan is the media. So where will where will you communicate and here as well, I think that's often in most of the advice I give, would be to really focus like just pick a few things that you know are important. There's so many things you can do right now just pick the main ones, the most important ones, and the ones where you'll have the best return on your investment. Because especially if you're just starting out if you're let's say you're alone, maybe you have the help of someone, whether it's a friend and employee, like we usually when you start a business it's like just yourself your ideas and your time. You don't have time to really realistically do everything. And there's lots of platforms. So let's say even you're starting on no budget like or super low budget. I think probably you want to have a website. So that's something that you work on once then you want to of course like keep it up to date but that's mainly a one time thing before your your launch. And then social media. Because it's it's free or like it will be then you can build it up and like then when you have more budget you can work on a paid strategy or do something more. But like, you can literally start for free on social media, and there's already so many platforms. So you want to pick like just one or maybe two that you think will have the most impact for the biggest impact for your brand. So to figure out those one or two platforms, that will be the best for your brand, I think the main thing is to consider your targets. So your who that we talked about before? Who is your, your persona, your ideal customer? And where do they hang out? Where do they find that type of information that you want to share. And basically, that's it. And ideally, you also want a social media platform that kind of resonates with you that you have experience, not experience on but that you're using maybe as a consumer, as a user, you're going there. So you kind of know what you like on there. And if not, it's fine, you can always like, just really consume it and do research about it. So you can perform there and it will seem more natural to you. But you want to use that platform, before you go on it, like be a consumer of it. So you know what you like when it comes to that platform. So yeah, that was for number three to have a plan. So the five components that I think I would include in the plan, are the purpose and business objectives, or why the targets or who the offer that are what the launch dates, when and the media where. So that's it for your plan. And once again, it doesn't have to be complicated, it doesn't have to take really long, it can be like, just as I was talking right now you're hearing me and you're thinking about them, and you know them and just write them, I don't know on a post it note, like, it doesn't have to be long, like you just have to know them, and be able to go back to that piece of paper. Whenever you're hesitant on something, it will help you make the right decisions. Number four, so the fourth step to building a strong brand Foundation, is to make it look. So that's my favorite. And that's I would say like, for me, the fun part like the aesthetics and like really just having your vision come to life. I think that's really cool. And that's why I love doing what I do. Branding and helping clients really have their vision come to life. And what I just mentioned before, is what I would ask my clients to know how the brand should look, we have to know everything we just discussed. So yeah, basically, what's important is not just the aesthetics and that you like it, of course, you want to have a brand that visually you love, because it's, it's your baby. But also it has to be in line with everything that you just defined before. So your targets will it resonate with them, your offers, does it convey that you're offering this or that like, does the vibe align with what you want to say and how you want to say it. And basically that, that's it. And also, I would encourage you to kind of it has to look like professional and polished, that's the most important, it has to align with everything you just defined. And also, if you can, I'm especially thinking because it's kind of, it's not really easy, but if you can, and if you are into everything like aesthetic, and if you've looked around to try to work on something, even just doing it yourself, try to work on something that will also bring that differentiating factor. So we talked in number two about differentiate, and you kind of want to have that if you've, you've defined that you're going to be different because I don't know your brand is going to be 90s inspired. You want that to be reflected in the design. Or if there's something like you can really add that differentiating factor there visually, that's a huge bonus. It doesn't have to be you have to look polished professional, or like whatever is important for your business and your brand. But really, at least something polished and professional is usually key even for like cool brands. You just want to especially if you're just a new brand, you need to build trust whether you're selling a product or service, people don't know you, so they don't trust you. And visually that that's like the first thing they will see any will tell them a lot about your brand. And yeah, if you, if you are able to work with a designer, that's great, if you're not able to, there's tons of tools and resources, and you can for sure, figure something out and just try to not just make something pretty, but really keep all those things in mind, though, it's also like, it's beautiful, but it's also really strategic. Lastly, so number five, the last step to building a strong brand foundation, for me is going to show up consistently, basically like to really build a brand and have it come to mind to people who have been exposed to it and are like potential consumers, users, whatever you think it takes seven to eight years. So that's like, the long, long haul, building a brand, it doesn't just happen, like you have your website set up, and your social media account. And that's it. Like it's literally like building. It's about building trust. And it's about just being there. And you have to show up consistently for that. So you want to make sure that whatever you're deciding to do, you're doing consistently, whether it's on your social media platforms, whether it's for your clients in your business for your customers, you also want to show up consistently, and in a way that's aligned with the your key brand values and what you've defined before. Yeah, so you just have to, like, do it and like keep at it. And that's why I always encourage you to really focus on a few things, but do them well. And just you won't give up as easily that way because it doesn't seem as overwhelming. If let's say you're just just like it's it's work. But let's say you have an Instagram account that you really want to build. That's, that seems more okay and less work. And it is this work then having like the Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, like everything, and it's too much for one person to handle. Like, that's literally a full time job just doing that and you're maybe you're you already have a job on the side, and you have all of the other things to run in your business. So that's just not realistic. But yeah, focus on your main things and just show up consistently. And that's why also branding and like thinking about these strategic and foundational aspects of your brand are so important, because then you're able to be consistent. So you want that consistency to be in the way you're showing up like you're posting consistently, for instance, on on social media, you're replying to your customers in a timely manner. But also you have consistency visually. And they can see that and that's a cue for them that if you're consistent in your visual so let's say you have defined in the making a good part, in the more like visual aspect you have defined your brand colors, your types with you have defined a few things. And you're always using these brand colors, and fonts. And let's say you want to use visuals that are like drawings, and you're always using that people will recognize your brand. And if you're picking something because you like it, or it's a trend or at that point in time you like that. And then you're changing every two weeks, because you think you saw that on another account and you look good and you're doing the same, you're not building a brand, you're having something that's like, it will be cute, and you like it. And it's cute at one point in time, but it's not strategic at all. And you're not building a brand because you're changing your mind all of the time. And that's what you're telling your audience basically when you're doing that. So you really want to think about something that will stand the test of time that you will like and that you will be able to build and it doesn't mean that you can never change your designs but you kind of want to at least keep at it for like a year or two years until like you know more and maybe your vision kind of changes and some things evolve in your business. But if you see the different logo versions of super famous brands, they've evolved, but they didn't completely change. Like there's something that's still there. For instance, I'm thinking about the Starbucks one like visually it's a huge change, and it became way more minimalistic. But you still have that memory. So it's something like it's evolved, and the colors are the same, or the same shade. So it's evolving. But it's always keeping in line with the main things of the business. So they're really building a brand. And so I think that's it for the fifth one social app consistently. Just for a quick recap, number one, focus on your offer your product service first, number two, differentiate. So how are you standing out from the competition, basically, what's different about you? Number three, have a plan with your purpose targets, offers launch dates, and key dates and media. Number four, make it look good and make it look good strategically, may I add, and number five, show up consistently. If you want to go a bit further, we have worked on a dream brand guide, which basically takes you through all that, like exploration for your brand, really setting the foundation. But you can also Like think about writing it on a post it, like I said, whatever, it doesn't really matter. But if you want something a bit more guided, that gives you those steps, you can download the dream brand guide at the link in the description. And it's also on it's on the website, AHBC-group.com and it's on our Instagram at AHBC Group. Feel free to connect there hit me up if you have questions, I'd love to chat. And yeah, if you decide to download the dream brand guide, basically, I just ask for your email, you can unsubscribe then if you don't want to receive emails, but I won't spam you. But you're always free to unsubscribe. But then I add you to a group where if you want to ask me questions, or like share what you found in your dream brand guide, or I have one that's like the social media workbook. And if you want to kind of have more, where I can kind of let you know what I think or if there's like something that really quickly I think you could work on or improve. And what's really fun in that one, the dream brand guide, we go through the objectives, the targets and all that stuff. And then I give you a mood board template so you can work on your mood board. And I also have links to my Pinterest boards, which you can use as an example. And you can take inspo from those. So that's the at the end. That's the fun part. And then you can share it with me if you want my opinion, my advice or just sharing it with everyone who's doing the same work as you are and building their dream brand. Well, it was super nice chatting about branding. Next time I think or like in a future episode we'll do one about the operational part. So like the nitty gritty of what we need to do to really launch that brand once we've worked on the foundation, talk soon!