The Art And Craft Of Brand Building

I was in my Toronto home office, and they were at a week-long retreat in Panama. The group included an engineer, a politician, a speech therapist a doctor and a soap maker. They are all in the process of developing entrepreneurial ventures.

The opportunity came about because of my collaboration with an organization that specializes in helping professionals embrace an entrepreneurial mindset.I’ve been a marketing communication professional for more than two decades, but it is always exciting for me to discuss the building blocks behind developing a brand.

While all of the participants asked relevant questions, one statement stood out, “I wish there were some sort of a checklist to make sure that I’m on the right path.”While what follows is not exactly a checklist, here are topline elements to consider in your brand building journey.

Have you crafted a position statement? Here’s mine:“Darren D. Walker Marketing Inc. is the only marketing agency that builds user experience driven tech stacks, and develops effective marketing communications strategies to help our clients cut through the clutter and compete in the digital age.”

Next, consider your target audience. How will you communicate your proposition? LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube or other social media channels? I suggest as a starting point that you plan on having a website. This requires registering a domain name on a web hosting platform and creating a dedicated email address.Colour palette? Mine is black, white, and shades of gray. Your choice of colours also impacts your audience’s reaction to your proposition. As mentioned in a previous post, fonts and visual language are key elements of your brand’s “look & feel,” but they are not your brand. A logo is not your brand. Logo or wordmark?

There are many decisions to make on your brand building journey.Following is a recap of the art and craft of brand building:

1. Develop a position statement.

2. Consider your target audience and what social media tools you will specific demographic.

3. Have a website which requires registering a domain name and creating a dedicated email address.

4. Select a colour palette and determine if you will have a logo or wordmark. For more insights, why not read my other posts about What Makes A Brand, The DNA Of Your Identity, and Strategic Planning: Plan to Fail Without It?