How to Create a Brand

By the end of this article, you will understand what it means to have a brand voice, you will be able to create a professional logo, brand package, and a complete social media fortress ready for a customer audience who will LOVE your new business!

But then I realized how overcomplicated I had made it…. I have a tendency to overthink things haha! I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve ever thought of starting something big, but then have gotten too scared to follow through. We call this analysis paralysis, boys and girls. Haha!

So I’m going to break it down for you. Because I promise it is easier than it seems! There are some key components I learned that I wish I would have known sooner. Right off the bat, one of the most important things to know is that the SOONER you START, the better off you’ll be. It’s all about building, and you have to start somewhere. (If you need help thinking of a business idea, check out this article!) However, whether you plan on opening a small coffee shop, starting a blog, or launching a dog-walking business, the first and most difficult step is just getting started on building a BRAND. Kind of like motivating yourself to go to the gym, right? The hardest part is just motivating yourself to actually get there. (which is why I had to buy one of these bad boys ) So, make a conscious decision right now that once you learn the steps for starting your business, you will write down a plan of execution to get the ball rolling. There is a saying in one of my favorite marketing books that says “Knowing something and NOT doing it, is the same as not knowing in the first place.” Make the information you are about to learn worth it, and take action.

Alright, let’s dive in.

Okay, so like I mentioned above, the FIRST STEP in starting your business – regardless of the type of business it is – is creating your brand. (Read this at some point) What does it mean to create a brand? Well, the simple version is probably what you’re already thinking, “Oh, I need to create a logo!” Good, gold star for you. Go to Canva.com really quick, sign up for a free account and create a kick-ass logo from one of their free templates. It’s really simple, and they have tons of examples that you can get inspiration from. Why do you need a logo very first? Because every other step in creating your business is going to require you to know WHO you are as a business. You’ll need a name and logo if you want people to recognize you. You should also do a quick outline of the brand personality, voice, and theme that you want to emulate to make sure that you stay consistent with all of your content. (you can quickly create this outline with my free download below.)

The real part of creating your brand though, comes when you start creating your brand footprint. A logo that just exists doesn’t mean anything to anyone until you start getting it in front of people, you know? So here is your SECOND STEP. Create a facebook business page, an instagram business page, a twitter business page, and a Pinterest account with your new brand name. Write the usernames and passwords down as you create them. This is going to become your little fortress of brand-name recognition. You will be creating an audience around these pages that will be all about whatever your business category is!

Alright, now that you have created all of these social media accounts for your awesome new brand, here comes the THIRD STEP. (because let’s be real – having all of these new accounts seems overwhelming now) Create a free Hootsuite account. If you are unfamiliar with Hootsuite – this is a software created specifically for business owners who have multiple social media platforms and need to organize and streamline their social posts. When you sign up, you can connect your facebook, instagram, and twitter, and schedule your content to automatically post. This will save you SO much time, believe me. Take a few hours each month, or even quarterly, and plan out your social posts. It doesn’t take long to create some images, come up with some catchy captions, or even link some old blog posts you’ve written. The important thing is that you are posting SOMETHING consistently because whether your audience reads it or not, they will subconsciously be seeing your business name, your brand, and your profile picture pulling up in their news feeds, which is a GREAT thing. If you can post content that is engaging and prompts your audience to comment, share, or interact in some way, that is an even bigger bonus!

Lastly, you need to create a social media following. This is going to be your audience, or your pool of supporters. There are lots of ways to do this for each of the social media platforms. I recommend the following:

So, now we’ve walked through the four steps to create a strong, successful brand! You have the knowledge to now CREATE! Leave a comment below, or share this post if you found it helpful! I would love to hear from you and see the brand you create!