Blog

Discover the key brand strategy your startup craves.  Elevate your game and leave a lasting impact.  Ready to transform your Journey?

What’s an iPhone without that iconic Apple logo on the back? It’s a stark reminder of the power of branding and why it’s an absolute must for startups. As Jeff Bezos once famously said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” And who should care about this more than today’s ambitious startup founders? Startups set themselves apart with a deep sense of purpose, ambitious growth goals, and an unmatched sense of urgency.

No matter what drove you to jump into the world of startups, one thing is crystal clear: the road ahead is no walk in the park. You can either choose to skyrocket your startup’s growth, increasing size and revenue year after year, or you might opt to sell it to another organization for a handsome valuation. In either case, you need a brand that truly reflects your purpose and promise, a brand that your customers recognize, believe in, and rally behind. Many startups underestimate the importance of branding, but trust me, you can’t afford to do that.

So, let’s kickstart this party and dive right into your story.

What is Your Brand’s Purpose?

As Simon Sinek brilliantly puts it, “the Why is more important than the What & How.” Let’s rewind to the beginning of your journey. Think back to that moment when you and your team decided to take the plunge. It might have been a serious powwow in a cramped room or a eureka moment over a beer. What inspired you to believe you could make a dent in the world? What kind of impact did you hope to make? What made you different from the rest out there? Why should your customers believe in you? Your brand’s story lies right there, and it’s the driving force behind it all.

This story will help you connect with your customers on a deeper level. It’s the story that will make your customers feel emotionally attached to you. And this emotional connection is what will make your customers believe in you and remember you. 

Defining your startup’s purpose goes way beyond just telling a story or crafting brand narratives. Your startup’s purpose should be your North Star throughout your entrepreneurial journey. It should guide every decision you make, every interaction with your customers, and even shape your products, services, and overall portfolio. Think of it as the heart of your startup, influencing its growth and future direction. So, treat your startup’s purpose, your ‘Why,’ as something truly sacred.

Define and Understand Your Gamefield – Your Brand Strategy

Startup founders, in the world of branding, your customers are the alpha and omega. So, let’s get to know them inside out.

Take a deep dive into your customer base. Beyond the usual demographics and psychographics, it’s time to create customer personas that are like mirror images of your ideal customers. The more precise you are in defining your audience, the sharper and more impactful your communication and messaging can be. Plus, it’s a goldmine of insights for product development, marketing strategies, pricing decisions, and a whole lot more.

Here are some quintessential questions to ponder:

• What problem are you really trying to solve? Think beyond just the product – what’s the bigger picture? For instance, you might be selling electric vehicles, but you’re actually offering an economical mobility solution.

• Who’s your real target audience? Make a distinction between the person buying your product and the one using it. Dad might be making the purchase, but it’s his daughter riding that electric scooter.

• What are their beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and values? These factors shape every conversation you have with your customers, so they’re critical to understand.

• What emotional impact will your product have on their lives? Emotions often drive purchasing decisions more than logic.

• What alternatives is your customer considering? Don’t just look at direct competitors; consider everything in the competitive landscape, from bicycles to public transport.

• What preconceived notions do your customers have about your solution? Are there misconceptions you need to address?

• Who else is vying for your customer’s attention, and how do they perceive those competitors?

• What’s a typical day like for your customer, and where does your product fit into their routine? Dive deep into their habits, media consumption, and social media preferences.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding your target audience and the competitive landscape. Before you put your pen to paper, it’s crucial to have a crystal-clear picture of who you’re speaking to and what you’re up against.

Defining Your Identity

Now, let’s talk about your identity – 

In the fast-paced world of startups, creating a strong brand identity is not just a matter of aesthetics – it’s a strategic imperative. Your brand identity is the face of your startup, the first impression that can make or break your journey to success. 

Brand identity encompasses the sensory and experiential aspects that you want your customers to associate with your brand. What should your customers see, hear, smell, touch, or experience when they think of your brand? These components serve a crucial role in establishing a brand’s unique presence and differentiating it in the minds of consumers.

So, let’s embark on this journey to discover how a well-defined brand identity can be a game-changer for your startup.

Choosing the Perfect Name

While there are no strict rules for what makes a great brand name, it’s best if it’s not too abstract, hard to pronounce, or overly complicated. Instead, brainstorm some potential names that resonate with your story and capture your essence. Look for names that evoke strong emotions in your customers’ hearts. 

Emotions can be more persuasive than your value proposition. Imagine the conversations you hope your customers will have and see how the name fits in. But don’t forget to test these names on as many people as possible without revealing what you offer to see what perceptions these names evoke.

Crafting Your Logo

Your logo is like the face of your brand. It’s not just another graphic; it’s a visual representation of what your brand stands for and tells a compelling story about your company. To create a logo that truly aligns with your brand, start by listing all the words that describe your brand – nouns, adjectives, anything that comes to mind. Once you have this list, think about the visual elements like colors, shapes, design treatments, and specific design elements that you associate with your brand. Create a mood board with images that resonate with your brand’s essence. If you have co-founders, do this exercise separately and then compare ideas to ensure alignment.

Building Your Brand Palette

Now, let’s define your brand’s palette.

A well-defined palette ensures that your brand’s visual elements – from your website to marketing materials – maintain a consistent look and feel. This consistency helps in creating a strong and memorable brand image. Colors and fonts evoke emotions and moods. By selecting those that align with your brand’s values and personality, you can create a deeper emotional connection with your target audience. As your startup grows, having a well-documented design palette makes it easier to expand your team and ensure everyone is on the same page. It simplifies the design process for new marketing materials or products.

In essence, designing your brand’s design palette is not just about colors and fonts; it’s about shaping how your startup is perceived and remembered in the minds of your audience.

Narrative and Story

Your brand’s voice and representation will span a wide array of platforms, from social media to events, interviews to media coverage, and conversations with customers or investors. Having a standard narrative or story for various purposes and occasions can indeed be a game-changer. However, it’s vital to remember that consistency and relevance are non-negotiable, regardless of the medium or audience.

While design templates and media boilerplates can assist in standardizing your brand’s story to some extent, it’s equally crucial to infuse your brand story into every interaction and conversation with stakeholders. Whether you’re engaging with customers, channel partners, investors, or employees, your brand’s story should be at the heart of these exchanges.

It’s this steadfast commitment to your brand story that ensures your startup’s voice remains compelling, recognizable, and resonates powerfully with your target audience, fostering enduring relationships and driving your brand’s success.

Defining Your Brand Persona

It’s not just about what you say; it’s about how you say it. That’s where your brand’s personality steps into the spotlight.

Imagine if your brand were a person. What kind of person would they be? Take some time to delve into the details: their age, gender, qualifications, personality traits, and even their lifestyle. The more specific you get, the better.

Startup founders, remember, your brand’s personality often mirrors your own. After all, you’re the living embodiment of your startup brand. But it’s also crucial to consider how your brand persona aligns with your target audience, the role you want to play in your customers’ lives, and the impact you aim to create.

Your brand’s persona guides your communication tone, shapes how you handle issues, and even influences how you tackle challenges. It’s the driving force behind your organizational culture and can impact your choice of partners and brand ambassadors.

Putting It All Together

“So, when you blend your story, brand name, logo, and persona, who are you, really? Are you the approachable buddy, the inspiring mentor, the wise sage, the funny entertainer, or the energetic motivator? Do you infuse your audience with enthusiasm? Do you foster trust like a reliable friend? 

Think about it in fine detail because the more you zoom in, the easier it gets to connect with your customers. Picture stumbling upon someone you genuinely click with – that’s the kind of connection you want your customers to experience when they engage with your brand.

For startups and their founders navigating the exciting journey of branding and building, this exercise can be a game-changer. It’s all about crafting a brand identity that feels not just relatable but downright friendly and authentic.”

Positioning Your Brand

In the exciting journey of building your startup’s brand, the significance of brand positioning cannot be emphasized enough. It serves as the bedrock upon which your startup’s identity is constructed, influencing every facet of your business, from product development to marketing strategies. Thoughtfully defining and refining your brand positioning can play a pivotal role in helping startup founders carve out a unique niche in the market.

One thing every startup founder needs to realize is that, regardless of the industry or category you operate in, you’re not alone. The level of competition or saturation in your particular category determines the critical nature of brand positioning for your startup’s success.

Drawing insights from our earlier discussion on understanding your competitive landscape, it’s not only important to keep an eye on rival brands, their product features, unique selling points (USPs), and promised value propositions. Equally vital is comprehending the perceptions and mental associations that your target audience holds about these brands – this is what we call perceptual mapping.

Moreover, it’s essential to map the key factors that influence your target audience’s purchasing decisions. When combined with their perceptions of existing brands in the category, this provides insights into the vacant spaces in the perceptual maps where your brand could establish its positioning. Of course, your product, its features, and benefits must align with this identified space.

To simplify, consider the toothpaste category: Colgate focuses on strong teeth, Pepsodent on germ-killing, Sensodyne on sensitivity, and Close Up on fresh breath. While all these products are toothpaste, each occupies a distinct space in the minds of their customers.

Defining your brand’s positioning extends beyond your product and its features and benefits; it profoundly impacts how you conduct your business. You can position your brand as the most customer-centric, the most budget-friendly, the easiest to work with, the one with the best after-sales support, and more.

Therefore, it’s crucial for every startup founder to introspect and identify their startup’s core strengths while simultaneously assessing the competitive landscape. Additionally, gaining insights into what matters most to your audience and how they perceive it is paramount to your startup’s brand strategy and brand-building journey.

Mapping the Customer Purchase Journey

A startup’s brand is like the sum of all the interactions, conversations, and transactions that customers have with the brand throughout their entire buying journey. This journey begins even before customers think about the brand and continues well beyond the point of purchase.

In the world of startup branding, it’s common for marketing leaders and brand managers to get caught up in debates about online versus offline marketing and touchpoints. But here’s the thing: your customers don’t really distinguish between online and offline. Regardless of how your customers find their way to your brand, it’s essential to be there at every step, in a way that feels relevant and inviting.

Today, a customer’s journey may start with a simple Google search, then move to an eCommerce site, followed by YouTube product reviews, a visit to a physical store to see the product in person, and gathering feedback from existing users. Finally, they may make the actual purchase on your website. This journey can be as diverse as the number of customers themselves.

As a startup brand, it’s crucial to map out the most important touchpoints in your customer’s journey and understand how these touchpoints influence their purchasing decisions. Equally important is figuring out how your brand intends to engage with them.

For instance, your website could focus on showcasing the product and its features, while your YouTube channel dives into the technology behind the product. Social media platforms can be used to share customer experiences. If you have an offline presence, that can serve as the perfect place to bring your brand experience to life.

The key takeaway here is that at every touchpoint, every aspect of your brand, from its values to its messaging, must come to life and remain consistent and relevant. Startup founders, remember that building your startup brand is not just about creating an online presence. It’s about crafting a holistic brand strategy that seamlessly integrates with your customers’ journey, both online and offline.

So far, we’ve already delved into the fundamental elements of your startup’s brand strategy, which provide you with a sturdy blueprint for moving forward. But that’s just the beginning. To fuel your brand’s growth as your startup progresses, you need a carefully crafted roadmap that covers other crucial aspects of your brand strategy.

So, let’s look at some important ones – 

Employer Branding 

It’s undeniable that the true success of your startup hinges on your employees—your talent pool. In essence, you need the best talent in the industry not only to work for you but, before that to want to work for you. That’s where your startup’s brand comes into play. Whether you call it a fantastic workplace or a fun place to work, your brand should radiate your organisation’s values and its purpose.

Most long-standing employees in organisations are those who resonate with the brand’s purpose and values and have found a nurturing culture to thrive in. If you’re wondering what organisational culture has to do with brand building, think of your employees as the ambassadors of your brand. Regardless of how exceptional your product is, it’s your employees who will carry your brand to your customers, becoming the very face of your brand.

So, define what your brand should represent for potential employees? What’s the compelling reason for them to join your organisation? What are the core values at the heart of your organisation?

Remember that building a startup brand isn’t just about products or services; it’s about creating a workplace culture that attracts and retains top talent. Your brand’s purpose and values should resonate not only with your customers but also with the individuals who make your startup thrive.

Communication Strategy – Social Media, PR & Media, Events and Exhibitions, Industry Participations

Whether it’s through social media, mainstream media, events, exhibitions, newsletters, or even one-on-one conversations, consistency and visibility are absolutely crucial for any startup brand looking to thrive. In a world overflowing with brands of all shapes and sizes, making a lasting impression on your customers’ minds and hearts demands unwavering and coherent communication. This consistency should span across everything that defines your brand, including your products, services, culture, and values.

To achieve this, it’s essential to tailor a unique communication strategy for each channel and touchpoint where you’ll engage with various stakeholders. These stakeholders could include customers, channel partners, policy makers, industry bodies, investors, and employees, among others.

When devising your social media strategy, ponder over some pertinent questions: Who are you speaking to? Why are you engaging with them? How should your tone and approach vary across different channels? What topics or subjects should you address? For instance, a lifestyle brand might not need a presence on LinkedIn, whereas a B2B brand might not find Instagram or TikTok relevant. Reels could be a hit for a lifestyle brand, while technology companies might focus on blogs or white papers.

Turning our attention to mainstream PR and media, identify the key channels that can help you reach your target audience, and then pinpoint the subjects or properties you’d like to be associated with. Among the various ways to engage with mainstream media, consider options like interviews, authored articles, contextual comments, contributions, and podcasts.

Remember, no brand needs to be omnipresent. When exploring events and exhibitions, be selective, choosing those that align with your industry and offer the best chance to connect with your audience effectively. Participation in an event or exhibition should go beyond merely plastering your logo; it’s an opportunity to bring your brand to life. Experiential marketing has opened up numerous opportunities for just that. And, as we discussed earlier about the customer journey, don’t forget to connect the dots between your events and your digital platforms.

Remember, your brand’s success hinges on being in the right place, with the right message, at the right time.

Channel Partner Branding:

In the realm of startups, channel partners play a pivotal role. Depending on your industry, these partners could be retailers, wholesalers, dealers, or even C&F agents. However, the real key to success lies in finding partners who not only align with your product but also resonate with your brand’s purpose and values. This becomes absolutely crucial when viewed from a broader perspective. Partnering with channel partners who share the same zeal towards serving your customers definitely helps augment your startup’s brand building efforts. 

Partnering with channel partners opens up numerous opportunities for co-branding. It’s not just about visual designs and collaborative narratives; it’s also about identifying common interests and impact areas where both organizations can make a difference. 

Investor Branding:

The startup ecosystem owes much of its vitality to ambitious investors who put their money and faith into these ventures. Investors are undeniably among the most critical stakeholders for any startup. However, many startup founders tend to believe that investors are only interested in product details, growth projections, balance sheets, and profit-and-loss statements. What often goes overlooked is the fact that none of these numbers truly matter if they aren’t backed by a strong brand. As a startup brand, what goes an extra mile towards building your brand is the authenticity and transparency in your conversations and communications with them. 

In a nutshell, a startup’s brand building journey only has a starting point; not a finish line. The journey evolves as the startup grows and with each new phase of growth, the journey will keep adding newer dimensions and levers to orchestrate the brand building efforts. 

Wishing you the best as you embark on a journey to build your startup’s brand.

Vivek C. Nair