10. Defining your brand

What does your brand stand for?

The CIM writes:” Brand is really a symbol of everything the business stands for, what it promises customers – and, increasingly, what it actually delivers. It works like a shorthand: if you see a BMW badge on a car, you expect good engineering without having actually to drive the car. An Apple logo on a computer might lead you to anticipate high design values and ease of use. Therefore, a brand exists in the mind of customers, its employees and wider society as a set of expectations and perceived values that differentiate it.”

The Balance Small Business writes: “Think of branding as though your company or organisation were a living, breathing person. Imagine this person explaining who they are, why they're valuable, and what they specifically have to offer. As consumers begin to identify with you, your brand will live in the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects, and connect on an emotional level.”

What does your brand stand for? What promise are you making to your customers? These are your brand values. The Fabrik website explains how to define them. Vcita’s article ‘You are your brand: How to develop your small business brand’ is well worth reading.

Logo, website and marketing materials

As a business start up you will probably need a website and some basic marketing materials such as business cards and leaflets. You need to think about the design of your logo, website and all branded materials because your branding reflects your brand promise and sets you apart from your competitors. If you decide to use a graphic designer, which is a good idea if your budget allows, then you may find the article ‘A designers guide to creating a logo design brief’ useful. Be sure to think through and agree the design brief with your designer before you proceed, and if you are having a website designed, then do the same for the website specification. If you prepare a website specification, you can then compare quotes from several website designers because they will all be quoting for the same service. I recommend you read this useful blog post Creating a new website: writing the brief.

Silver Startups’ logo and website have been designed using Squarespace and Canva. If you are interested in designing your own marketing collateral, then you will be able to find many templates online.