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How to create a strong brand for your business

brand

A strong idea and business plan alone do not make for a successful business. You also have to know how to sell exactly what it is you do. Your primary tool for doing just that is your brand.

A coherent brand sends a strong message to your audience that’s easy for them to understand and buy into. Rapha is an example of a brand that is immediately recognisable in communicating their business’s dedication to cyclists of all levels. The branding strategy is just as important, such as Red Bull’s clear branding strategy that has linked them to sporting enthusiasts for over a decade. We know what these businesses are and what values they represent through their branding.

At Breakaway, we know branding. We’ve worked with cycling brands to develop them from the ground up, to shape them for digital audiences, and to evolve them to changing markets. Here’s what we’ve learned about creating strong brands.

Laying out your brand’s strategy

Before you think about what imagery and logos you use (your brand identity and style) and how you share it (your branding) we have to get to the core of it. We’re talking about your brand strategy. Here, we’re going to look at the questions that help you find that identity.

  • Who are you?: What do you do? What do you provide? What’s the origin of your business?
  • Who are your market?: Who is your ideal customer? To figure out the type of voice and look your brand should have, you should have an idea of who you’re selling to as it changes the way we communicate.
  • What makes you unique?: What sets you apart from your competitors? A strong brand is one that focuses on the unique value proposition you can offer your customers. For cycling brands, this could be the advantages of products that you offer that others don’t, for instance.
  • What’s your goal?: Also known as your mission statement, this is the why of your business. Why it exists, and what it sets out to achieve.
  • What are your values?: Your brand has to be true to your corporate values to stand up to any scrutiny. In the sporting goods market, a dedication to fitness, performance, and expertise are examples of good values.

The questions above can help you build a distinct brand strategy, but they can also help you quickly answer what kind of identity and branding you use, too.

Developing your brand identity and style

Your brand identity represents the immediately recognisable core of the brand’s image. This includes the voice of the brand (whether you look for professionalism, informality, fun, or energetic styles of communication), the colours associated with the brand, and what kind of image you want to evoke.

Using this identity, you create your brand style. This is best unified in a style guide, which lays out all the different elements you use in branded material, whether it’s the website, advertisements, flyers, content, or otherwise. Your style guide should include the following:

  • The brand story
  • The brand voice
  • Any logos used by the brand
  • Typography and how different fonts are used
  • Colour palettes
  • Types of imagery preferred

At Breakaway, we can help you create a comprehensive brand style guide. Besides laying it all out in one place to tie your strategy, identity, and style together, it also creates consistency. As we’ll cover later, that’s very important.

Branding: the act of bringing your brand to life

Breakaway has a range of talented web designers, graphic designers, copywriters, and content creators that carry out the strategy that brings your brand directly to your market. Matching your branding with your strategy is key. Some branding methods work better for others.

For instance, if you’re targeting a younger demographic, you want to choose social media platforms they are likely to use. If your company’s target demographic is professional cyclists, then you might want to find sponsorships or create content that helps them improve their performance. Naturally, your branding must also consider your goals. At Breakaway, we can ensure your branding strategy is a perfect match for all these elements.

Consistency is the key

Your brand needs to be recognisable to be effective. You want customers to recognise who you are and what you do as soon as they see your name, your logo, and any of your branding. As such, you need to ensure that it isn’t changing every other month.

Staying consistent with your brand builds authority and authenticity. The style guide can help you stay consistent, regardless of what platforms you work with, and even helps you keep branding consistent when working with third-party marketing providers since they have materials to follow.

However, branding can evolve. If you’re offering a new range of services or products, you can alter the branding to suit the new market or image you’re trying to create. As such, consistency must be partnered with flexibility.

Mistakes to avoid

Hopefully, you have a better idea of how your brand is created. But to keep you on the right path, here are a few things to avoid getting tangled up in your brand.

  • Ensure your offline and online brand matches: While your brand should be adapted for multiple platforms, its spirit and style should stay the same across them. Otherwise, customers can get confused when they visit the site after seeing a billboard.
  • Avoid copying your competitors: Your brand is supposed to be distinct and separate you from others in the market, not split your customers between you.
  • Don’t stick with a brand that isn’t working: If your brand isn’t connecting with your customers at all, you need to consider a rebrand.
  • Avoid copying trending styles too closely: A good brand should be able to last for decades. Look at Red Bull’s consistency in their logo and colour scheme. If you go for what is trending right now, you risk becoming irrelevant

With the above tips, you should be ready to launch in your own branding journey. Breakaway is here to help in all aspects. From finding your brand strategy to developing your brand style and carrying out your branding strategy, let us ensure you set your business apart.

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