You don’t need a logo, you need a brand (Part II)
Introduced first on my private email list.
You want a good looking logo? Head to dribbble and download one. You want a logo that’s efficient, memorable and that resonates with your brand? A logo you’re proud to use and that your clients will immediately recognize and associate positively? You’ll have to go through the branding process first.
Last week, my collaborator Sarah and I spoke about the importance of defining and understanding your brand before investing any time, energy or financial resources in assets like logos or taglines. If you haven’t read it, you might be missing a bit of context, so please take a few minutes to check it out here.
So we have a brand. Now what are we building?
Okay, so now you have this amazing toolbox — great! What are you going to do with it? Let’s face it, I can provide you with the best cooking tools out there, but if you don’t have the recipe and the right ingredients at hand, you won’t be cooking s****. That’s the Marketing Strategy.
Once again, the process starts with research. Who’s your audience? What do they expect? What’s their story? Would you have the same conversation with a business owner from Manhattan than you would with a farmer from Texas? With a 25-year old NYU Student or a San Francisco-based data engineer? We need to define who those audiences are, where to find them and what touch points we have to create between them and your brand.
Once all of this information is gathered, it’s time to create the right strategy for the right goals. Business goals are often about something more subtle than just selling, you may want to be a reference in your field, an outsider, a challenger, a top end user, or you may be looking to increase web traffic and conversion rates. When it comes down it, your marketing strategy is all about digging up this information in order to define the process and channels you’ll need to take to reach those goals.
Sarah here again! It’s worth mentioning that really digging in to identify those goals is a huge help when you’re working on building a brand, especially if you’re working with external consultants and contractors. When possible, try to find tangible ways of measuring the success of those somewhat intangible goals.
You want to become a reference in your field? Then let’s measure the traction and interactions you get when pumping out fresh new content, designs and ideas. Want to improve your conversion rates? Consider defining exactly what your call-to-actions are and thinking of creative ways of leading people to different levels of conversion. Perhaps they won’t purchase on their first few visits, but you might be able to convince them to sign up to your newsletter or check out one of your blog posts. That’s a win, right?
Find appropriate and agile ways of determining ROI, so you can genuinely track the impact of your work
Or else you can easily start feeling like you’re a hamster in a running wheel. Which can be cute and lovely for a while, but it does tend to get stale and predictable.
So there you have it. You’re now ready to penetrate the market. Optimize your R.O.I. Choose whatever buzzword floats your boat. The fact of the matter is that you now have the tools and the plan you need to start building your success. The marketing assets themselves are not at the core of the branding work, they’re simply a tangible expression of a deep and intricate process of research and creativity.
Still not convinced? You think execution and product design is the key? Well, consider Craiglist, Amazon or Reddit; all terrible designs but hugely successful companies. Now think about Oscar (healthcare), Casper (the mattress) and Slack (App); great design and successful enterprises. Is their success a result of design? Or that of a thorough research process, powerful brand and detailed strategy?
If you enjoyed this article, please click that little green heart below. That would be incredible.
Creativity and talent teamed up to ensure the quality of these articles:
Adrien is the founder of Creatives Without Borders and a creative designer working all over the world. If he isn’t climbing one of the 7 summits or running a marathon, you’ll probably find him consulting about UX & UI for tech startups somewhere between Montreal, New York and Paris.
www.adriencolombie.com
Sarah is a talented journalist and a former CBC radio reporter, loves languages and is a highly capable entrepreneur.
https://medium.com/@sarah_mcsperb
