Successful branding generates positive brand equity. And what\u2019s brand equity? It is what your customers\u2019 opinions, feedbacks and thoughts about you \u2013 what they actually think of you. If your branding efforts are correctly guided, your brand will have a positive brand equity \u2013 meaning your customers\u2019 positive opinions about you outweigh the negative opinions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Positive brand equity means greater brand loyalty, more word-of-mouth marketing, and ultimately more profits and larger customer base.<\/p>\n While branding needs to be an evolving process<\/a> \u2013 anything that doesn\u2019t adopt to change will die, as would your brand \u2013 it is important to have the foundation of your branding efforts established on tested principles.<\/p>\n Here, we are sharing 8 of those tested, and proven successful, branding essentials that may be used as a blueprint for all your branding efforts.<\/p>\n Defining your brand<\/a> can be a difficult feat. Paraphrasing Einstein<\/a>, if you don\u2019t understand the very essence of your business well enough, you will not be able to define it well or clearly to your target audience. This lack of definition is what translates to confusing mission statements and vague PR talks with terms like \u2018progress\u2019, \u2018relentless passion\u2019, \u2018drive to innovate\u2019 thrown here and there. And in the end, no one actually knows what was said, including the ones who said it.<\/p>\n Defining your brand includes a lot of self-discovery. Start by answering these questions:<\/p>\n A clear, well-defined, and concise business idea or vision statement is not only essential for branding, but is also needed as the foundation for all future business decisions, big and small.<\/p>\n Knowing your key audience is a complete science. Companies who take the time (and have the resources) to know their audience often create fictional personas for their target buyer. They know the desires, expectations, beliefs, and insecurities of this fictional buyer \u2013 and create products, services, offerings, professional logo designs<\/a> and marketing plans to fulfill the specific needs and desires of that buyer.<\/p>\n Knowing your audience is more than guess work \u2013 it requires careful study. To start, begin by looking at your current customer base. At first glance they may look a diverse bunch, but a closer inspection will help you pick out patterns and behaviors that connect them. If you offer a product that only targets a very niche market, chances are you are already catering to your specific target market. But if your product is used by a large segment of market, you will see that even diverse customer base is fundamentally connected by some common characteristics and shared interest.<\/strong><\/p>\n Knowing those shared interests and common characteristics will help drive your branding strategies more precisely, and in a more result-oriented fashion. And this will eventually turn into big money. Companies who truly know their customers<\/a> rake in the big dollars in large part due to this knowledge.<\/p>\n Any comprehensive branding strategy is incomplete without incorporating a strong logo and a stronger tagline. A business logo<\/a> is the identity of your brand \u2013 it makes your brand visible. In today\u2019s most competitive world, having a brand logo that is reflective of your company\u2019s core values<\/strong> and business mission is less of a brand necessity and more<\/em> of a branding tool.<\/p>\n The design of the logo, the choice of shape and colors<\/a> and your choice to modify these as per different marketing needs (to seem more dynamic and interactive), all convey your brand strategy<\/a>. To create a fitting logo for your startup business<\/a>, your in-house graphic designer or a freelance artist can be of help. Or you can go completely entrepreneurial and take up the task yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n The same stands true for brand tagline. Taglines help with the brand recall. Customers may not notice the design intricacies of the logo, but they won\u2019t forget a catchy, interesting phrase easily. There\u2019s a reason taglines like \u2018Just Do It\u2019, \u2018Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat\u2019, and \u2018It\u2019s Not TV, It\u2019s HBO\u2019 have stood the test of time.<\/p>\n Every strong branding strategy aims at distinguishing the brand from all others. This is why brands strive to create a unique and distinctive \u2018voice\u2019 that\u2019s exclusive to them. This voice is how the customers assign adjectives to different brands. Why a brand seems more approachable while others more reserved, why one sounds funny where others more understated.<\/p>\n For example, are you the fun loving, friendly Coke? Or the business with a daring, adventurous streak, aka Nike? The glitz and glam of L\u2019Oreal? Or the deeper, more substance-centered side of beauty, Dove?<\/p>\n This voice is applied in every interaction conducted with customers, no matter the mode or scale. The language in your content, the message of your ad, what you post in a tweet, the Instagram caption you choose, how you answer your phones, and how your employees interact with customers \u2013 this voice will dictate the tone and style of these communications. And help your clients distinguish you from others.<\/p>\n Brand standards are the design and style guidelines that everyone in the company, from marketing to packaging, must be aware of and following strictly. Standardized brand guidelines mean that the visuals presented by the brand (repetition of the business support and networking logo<\/a>, same colors, same font etc.), and the look-and-the-feel of the company stays the same across communication channels.<\/p>\n Following brand standards strictly is what has enabled Starbucks to make sure that their cups are spotted a mile away (even as gone-in-a-flash product placements during a movie<\/a>).<\/p>\n![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Lisa-Gansky.jpg\" "\\"Lisa")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Gradient](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/advertising.jpg\")
\nGradient Advertising Logo<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Businessman](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/businessman.jpg\")
\nBusinessman logo with a Magnifying Glass<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Green](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/corporation.jpg\")
\nGreen Corporation Logo<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Logo](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/wholesalers.jpg\")
\nLogo Design For Wholesalers<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n1. Define Your Brand<\/h2>\n
![\"business](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/business-advice-concept.jpg\" "\\"business")
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\nImage Source: iStock\/anyaberkut<\/p>\n\n
2. Know Your Audience<\/h2>\n
![\"marketing\"](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/marketing.jpg\" "\\"marketing\\"")
<\/a>
\nImage Source: iStock\/Jirsak<\/p>\n3. A Business Logo And Tagline<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/A-Business-Logo-And-Tagline.gif\" "\\"A"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/p>\n4. The Voice Of Your Brand<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/The-Voice-of-Your-Brand.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/a><\/p>\n5. Create Brand Standards<\/h2>\n
![\"starbucks](\"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/starbucks-coffee.jpg\" "\\"starbucks")
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\nImage Source: iStock\/monticelllo<\/p>\n6. Center Your Brand Around Values<\/h2>\n