Start branding your business as soon as possible

By Alexandru Stan, Serial Entrepreneur, CEO of Tekpon, a single platform for all software needs.

People starting their own business don't always understand the importance of certain things that they may have overlooked until they felt the negative impact. And as a CEO of a startup, I was at that point until I started learning and looking at the biggest brands and applying them in my own business.

Everyone probably knows the word "branding", but not the amount of work behind it. Or, in other words, the steps that start with branding until you manage to build an identity for your brand that will give your business a boost.

I've met many business people who said their startup doesn't need branding because it's an early stage business idea. But, after months of trial and error, I realized how wrong they could be. It's like not naming your child because he's a newborn, and he has to grow and develop a personality to get a name.

What are the steps to great branding?

First of all, there are different stages before achieving the brand identity you desire. I'm sure everyone knows that branding is a precise process of well-defined activities that can create an identity for your brand. Your business should have a name, a face and a personality. Here are some steps you should keep in mind during the process.

Search, search, search.

Before starting with an idea, research is the key to a strong brand image. Gather as much information as possible about your company and your product; analyze the market, your competitors and even the target audience.

Without this first step, you cannot see the big picture of your business. Thus, you will not be able to build the right identity for your brand. After collecting all this information, you can proceed to the next step.

In everything you do, add a strategy.

Every step of your business strategy should be an effort to avoid chaos. So, after gathering all the information, start building your strategy. This step is important for consolidating your company's values, the tone of your communications and your visions for the future. This way, your team and each department will know the direction of the company and understand how to do their job according to your company identity.

Design me as one of your French girls.

With a little humor, design is the face of your business/brand. At this point, you create "apparel" for your brand to dress up all of your visions so people can recognize your signature. Then, together with your design team, you need to translate the strategy into real visual solutions to make your brand unforgettable in the minds of your audience.

In this step, you create visual elements like a logo, color scheme, and shapes. Then you develop your UI/UX, tagline, fonts, and images that you use for marketing and advertising purposes. Each element should help you build not just a business, but a brand that sells.

Remember to implement all of this.

Now that you have all your elements ready to be seen, start revealing your identity to the world. Of course, implementation can take many forms, from building your website, social media accounts, or other ATL or BTL advertising elements into your strategy for your business. But don't forget to put it all in your brand Bible: the "Brand Book".

Now that you know all the steps, let's explain why it's important to start promoting your business from the very beginning.

1. People love a good story.

The brand is the constant story you tell your customers, investors or other businesses. And people love a good story more than numbers and business strategies. Brand identity can show your company's purpose in the market and help you position yourself against your competitors.

In addition, your branding can answer your customers' questions, or at least the question "Why you?" All of these can empower you in your industry.

2. Make them believe.

Another aspect of branding is credibility; in these competitive times, you need to be credible. For this, you can use both your written and visual communication to share your visions. And as a startup, it takes a lot of effort to win people over...