How To Build A 7-Figure Brand
Branding is the key to bigger profit margins.
From 2013 to 2018 I built a multiple 7-figure clothing brand. Everything was private labeled and sold through a Shopify website and our gross margins were 70–80%.
The only way to get to those kinds of numbers in today’s world is with really great branding (and marketing, obviously).
I’m not talking about hiring Johnny Depp to walk around the desert sweating Dior cologne.
I’m talking about grass-roots, day in, day out consistency and whole-ass-ness.
Your customer service is just as important as your product.
Your website is just as important as your shipping times.
So here’s my jump-start list for building a 7-figure brand. It takes time, but wether you’re marketing a product or service, anyone can start here:
Logo
Your logo, regardless of the company name, should immediately tell people what your vibe is. Is it serious or fun? Quirky or cool? In your face or subtle? If you are a luxury clothing brand you go with big bold black letters and just use the name and a rather uninteresting font. If you are a fun summer seltzer company you’ll want to go with a laid back font, maybe something hand-drawn, and some fun neon summer colors!
YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY SOMEONE TO MAKE A LOGO FOR YOU RIGHT OFF THE BAT!
Sorry, was I yelling? Just wanted to make sure you didn’t do something dumb. 😇 Get Photoshop for $10/mo and create a basic, text-based logo yourself. If the company starts to make more than 6-figures/year you can consider paying a designer for an updated logo. I used the same basic-ass logo for my company since day one. You can make $2M+ with a simple logo. Trust me, no one cares.
Colors
Throughout your site, social media channels, email campaigns, and packaging, you’ll need a consistent color scheme that represents your brand. This color scheme will convey the tone of the brand and will give you options to play with in your marketing materials. Stick with 5 colors or less to start. Pick a scheme and only divert from it if it makes sense to.
Fonts
You need to choose 3 fonts for the brand. One for the logo, one for big headings, and one for regular text.
The logo font is mostly just for the logo, but you can occasionally sneak it into other places if it’s not too difficult to read.
The big headings font will be used on banners, site navigation, email headings, blog headings, product titles, etc.
The regular font is for everything else. It is worth noting: this regular font NEEDS to be easy to read. Do not use Curlz MT for your blog articles, everyone will hate you.
Vibe
People use different words for this, “the feel” or “the aesthetic” or “the vibe” of a company comes through photography and videography. Everything above: the logo, colors, fonts, those play a part as well, but your brand feel really comes through in the visuals.
Are your photos bright and sunshine-y? Or dark and moody? Are you cool and casual? Or fun and wild? Do you want your models smiling or not smiling? Think about the differences between Prada and Chubbies Shorts. One is very artsy, serious, and expensive. The other is really just here for a good time. Capture your vibe.
Tone
Contrary to popular belief, tone and vibe are NOT the same thing. If the vibe is the way you look, tone is the way you speak. It’s the text, the copy, the headlines, the who rather than the what. Imagery/vibe explains what you are, the text/tone explain who you are.
Are you sassy or subtle? Are you poised or provocative? Are you Tim Ferriss or Lizzo? Barak Obama or James Dean? Find your inner voice, the way you talk to yourself, and bring that out.
Consistency
The most important part of the equation.
Once you have decided these things, you need to be EXTREMELY consistent with it. Across all channels, website, email, social media, customer service, everything. It all needs to be on brand.
Inconsistency deteriorates the entire customer experience and eats away at a great company until it is merely mediocre and eventually nothing. That may seem harsh, but it’s true. Don’t botch the consistency.
To help with this I recommend creating a brand guide. Nothing over-the-top, it can be as simple as the one below, but make sure you and everyone you work with sticks to it!
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If you have additional tips and tricks please drop them in the comments!
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