“Your brand is not a logo or a name, but a spark for conversation.”

Branding for your Startup

By Geoffrey Byruch

Introduction❖ Regardless of what industry you are working in, branding will

always play an integral role for the success of your business.

❖ But what exactly does ‘branding’ mean?

❖ Isn’t it the same as marketing?

Difference Between Branding and Marketing

❖ The differentiation between the two concepts is actually one of the biggest misunderstandings many people have about the two fields.

❖ While similar within their trades, branding and marketing are two completely different sectors.

Marketing

❖ When we talk about marketing, we are talking about the action or business of promoting and selling various products and services.

Branding

❖ In comparison, branding is simply your promise to your customer.

❖ It tells the general public what they can expect from your company and what you offer outside of your competitors.

❖ In itself, your brand identifies your company.

❖ It gives your company a presence of how you want to be perceived and how you want to be viewed.

Apple Inc.❖ Just think about some of the great brands out

there right now. In the early 90s, Apple Inc., was seen as just another computer company.

❖ But through innovative products and strategic marketing, Apple Inc., today is seen as one of the biggest innovators within the 21st century.

❖ As much as we can associate them with laptops and computers, we also have to accompany their name with other industries outside of the tech world such as entertainment and music.

❖ While Apple Inc., was able to reinvent themselves, this was, in itself, not an easy task.

❖ Instead, it took a lot of innovative products and various marketing strategies to get them in the right direct outside of the computer and tech bubble.

Questions for Every Entrepreneur

❖ So the million-dollar question comes down to this: How to do you establish a strong brand for your company?

The Foundation❖ Now the foundation of your brand all

begins with a logo. ❖ From your websites to the packaging and

promotional materials of your products, your logo needs to communicate and integrate the overall message you are trying to send to your customers.

❖ With Nike, they derived their ‘swoosh’ from the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a 2nd century BC Hellenistic marble sculpture that prominently displays the Winged Goddess of Victory taking flight and action.

❖ But for your logo to be prominently displayed as a symbol or a phrase, you need to think outside of the design.

Holistic Thinking❖ Instead, identify your targeted market and

demographic.

❖ Ask yourself what your customers are looking to see when they see your brand on your street.

❖ More importantly, identify the overall message you want them to associate with your brand.

❖ For Nike, they wanted a symbol that identified strength, victory, and action.

❖ Because of this, they were able to utilize the Greek sculpture as a vessel for their own branding product.

❖ For your startup, you want to do the same thing and identify that message that you want to identify with the general public.

What are your Competitors Doing? ❖ Next, start evaluating your logo and brand

by analyzing them with your competitors’.

❖ By researching and analyzing other brands, especially within your marketing sector, you can learn a lot more about the industry, the studies, and the ideas that they are presenting to the general public.

❖ Be sure to note what their logos look like and how they associate their logos their message.

❖ Lastly, make sure you note and identify how each logo differs from one another.

❖ This will allow you to create and establish a unique brand that can capture the attention of your intended market.

Research and Analyze ❖ Once that is all done, make sure

you run your brand through various controlled groups and studies.

❖ This will allow you to gain more of an insight on the public’s thoughts for your brand of your startup.

❖ You can even go as far and share with your friends and family.

❖ The more information you get, the more ideas you can utilize for your campaign.

To Learn More

❖ To learn more about Geoffrey Bryuch, please visit the following sites and social media sites below:

❖ https://twitter.com/geoffreybyruch

❖ https://about.me/geoffrey_byruch

❖ https://www.crunchbase.com/person/geoffrey-byruch#/entity

❖ http://geoffreybyruch.com/