10 steps to build a brand from scratch

This article can only share with you "how to do it" and "what to do" to build a brand from scratch. The specific "how to do it" needs to be adapted to local conditions according to different companies and brands, and it is impossible to copy and use it in an article. In fact, what is more important is the accumulation and creation techniques of brand operators.

Brand Values

Brand values ​​are the brand's rules of conduct and the ethical standards for doing business. If a brand’s mission establishes the overall commitment to achieving its future vision, then values ​​are the behavioral commitments in daily activities.

Values ​​are common principles of behavior both inside and outside an enterprise and should be consistent with its purpose, vision and mission. Core values ​​need to be communicated frequently within the company to ensure that everyone is on the same page and penetrate into everyone's subconscious mind. For example, what standards should I use to develop products, formulate marketing plans, establish cross-border collaborations, and use what media to convey what information? etc.

The value of "values" lies not in words, but in actions.

If we want our friends to know what our values ​​are, it is definitely not because we tell them, but because we let them know through our actions and behaviors over time. So, too, does the branding work.

When setting your brand values, it’s important to:

True brand values ​​should be related to the commanding heights of the product category and wisely use a part of human nature to help us do business.

At the same time, brand values ​​are usually not presented directly to consumers, but interpreted through products, brand communication, activities, etc., so that consumers can feel the inner proposition. For example, we can only see “JUST DO IT.” in Nike’s advertisements. What we can’t see is the brand values ​​behind it: “No matter what, fairness and justice will prevail in the end.” This is the truly beautiful spirit of sports.

An action guide to defining your brand’s value — the dos and don’ts

- want-

1. List your brand purpose and ensure it is consistent with your values;

2. Have broad tolerance. When refining and planning brand value, we must fully consider foresight and tolerance, and lay a pipeline for brand extension in advance. Otherwise, if you find that your values ​​lack the necessary tolerance when you want to expand, you will have to make drastic changes, which means that a large part of the huge brand building costs you paid in the past will be wasted.

3. Match values ​​with corporate resource capabilities. Values ​​must not only be reflected through communication, but also be delivered to consumers continuously and consistently through products and services so that consumers can truly identify with the value proposition. Otherwise, values ​​become empty concepts, and the company's products need the support of corresponding resources and capabilities to ensure that products and services meet the requirements of the value proposition. Therefore, in the process of refinement, whether the enterprise's resource capabilities can support values ​​must be taken as an important criterion.

4. Prioritize the three values ​​you want to represent your brand.

5. Form these statements into short, unique, actionable sentences.

- don't want-

1. Create a value that is difficult to commit to;

2. Using vague and general terms that lack clear actions, such as “integrity” or “honesty”;

3. Refer to other brands.

Brand Positioning

Your brand’s position in the market depends on who your audience is, who your competitors are, and what your differentiators are. When you understand more about who your audience is, their likes and dislikes, their behaviors, and more importantly, the problems they need solved, you can start to implement the best actions to attract them.

Brand positioning is a choice. Choosing the differentiated characteristics of a brand and using marketing strategies to encourage consumers to remember the brand is the core of the brand.

Brand positioning is a complex and systematic subject. It is impossible to teach you how to do brand positioning in just a few words in this article, so it is also recommended to read relevant classic books to supplement your knowledge. Here I would like to introduce to you a simple and easy-to-understand way of brand positioning: establish brand positioning through three levels: product positioning, market positioning, and communication positioning. These three levels actually correspond to the ABC elements of psychology, namely emotion, behavior, and cognition.

1. Product positioning: Find out the differentiated features of the product that are different from similar products on the market. By using product categories and differentiated features, we can help consumers build a foundation of brand awareness and quickly classify products. Corresponds to cognition in psychology;

2. Market positioning: the purpose of the brand product and the reasons why consumers are willing to consume it. When we make a purchase, there are cognitive factors behind it, which may be high CP value, good quality, etc. Cognition will affect behavior, and behavior will also affect cognition. Corresponding to Behavior in psychology;

3. Communication positioning: the psychological significance of brand products and the psychological factors behind the use of products. If consumers continue to buy products of a specific brand and demonstrate their loyalty to the brand, it means that there is an emotional connection between consumers and the brand behind their purchasing behavior, such as identification with the brand's values ​​and being moved by the brand's story. Corresponding to the emotion Affection in psychology.

Regarding brand positioning tools, you can enter the keyword "brand positioning" in the background dialog box of the official account to request tool usage instructions and cases.

An action guide to defining your brand positioning – the dos and don’ts

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1. Define a clear buyer persona for your “perfect customer”

2. Find common characteristics, behaviors and problems among customers;

3. Study the strengths and weaknesses of competitors and identify opportunity markets;

4. If there is no obvious opportunity, see if there is anything you can do better to attract the customer's attention.

- don't want -

1. Try to copy your competitors.

2. Using differentiators that don’t benefit your audience.

3. Give the market more of the same without any improvements.

Brand personality

Your brand personality should reflect who your audience is, what appeals to them, and where you want your brand to sit in the market.

First of all, your brand must be attractive so that your audience is interested in understanding the substance of your purpose, vision, mission and values.

A product that cannot be identified as a brand is never a brand

Principles for setting and shaping brand personality:

1. The best basis for designing brand personality is to formulate it based on the spirit of brand proposition;

2. Plan and formulate based on consumer relationships that are beneficial to the business;

3. To shape a brand personality, you need patience and perseverance to ensure that the brand personality is truly embedded in consumers’ consciousness.

Nike formulated a "stubborn and upright personality" based on its brand proposition, conveying a firm tone in Chinese characters and a bright and distinctive style visually.

PX Supermarket has shaped its brand personality of "honest people" and its consumers as "smart people", establishing a brand-consumer relationship that is conducive to business development.

Regarding tools for brand personality, you can enter the keyword "brand personality" in the background dialog box of the official account to request the tools and how to use them.

Brand language and tone

Your brand language and tone of voice are an extension of your brand personality and therefore depend on who your audience is. Language and tone have always been important, but in today’s content-driven age, its importance is amplified. As a human being, we may use different tones and language to different people, for example, to your parents and to your best friend. If you invert your communication style and speak to your best friend like you would to your parents, you will most likely not resonate with them.

If as a brand you want to appeal to male skateboarders aged 18-24, then the language you use will be different if your audience is female foodies aged 35-50.

At its core, branding is all about creating connections and being remembered. One of the best ways to achieve both is to resonate with who your audience is, not on a demographic level, but on an individual behavioral level. How do they talk? Where do they come from? Do they have a particular accent? Do they use a specific set of languages? etc. When it comes to resonance, we must always trace back to who we want to resonate with, and what attracts them? There are no strict rules, you need to be flexible, but always remember that it must be consistent with your brand values ​​and not violate them.

An action guide to defining your brand’s language and tone – the dos and don’ts

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1. Start with the brand personality and ask, “What would this person say?” “What language and tone would they use?”

2. Use the audience personas projected in the "brand personality" and gain insight into the appropriate language;

3. Look at the fan conversations of your competitors on social media and look for common traits.

- don't want -

1. Use language or tone that may be offensive to the wider public;

2. Try to copy any of your competitors;

3. Over-expression and deliberate imitation.

In the next issue, we will continue to share the other 10 basic brand modules - core information, brand identity system and brand expression.

Author: Li Yin - Lens Hood

Source: Li Yin-Lens Hood