5 Achievable Branding Strategies For Your Startup
First impressions happen faster than we can register what’s occurring. Research tells us we make first impressions in as little as 100 milliseconds to 7 seconds—eternal by comparison. The online world is no different. From our social media to our website, from our personalized emails to our CEO’s reputation, opportunities for first impressions are around every corner.
As you write a business plan and determine your marketing objectives for your startup or relaunch, be mindful of the branding trends seen in the market right now, and be sure to implement them in your organization or church.
Gain a competitive edge when you follow these 5 achievable branding strategies for your startup.
1. Consider your CEO’s personal brand.
Jia Wertz for Forbes draws attention to a new kind of marketing for the digital age:
“This overexposure to traditional advertising might be a direct link to the rise in popularity of an alternative form of marketing for companies: the personal branding of CEOs as thought leaders in their respective spaces – given how it’s much easier to trust a human being than a logo. This approach has become much easier with the proliferation of social media and other digital platforms, where ideas can spread like wildfire.”
When your leader publishes articles on the company’s blog or posts a personal pic of her dog, customers begin to associate these personal touches and the associating emotions with your startup. When you resonate personally with your followers, it translates into trust and loyalty.
2. Find your green.
There is no doubt that green marketing has skyrocketed in the past decade. Data shows that millennials are willing to spend more for brands that support charitable causes and promote socially responsible marketing. In fact, a Nielsen study found that consumers, particularly millennials, are willing to pay extra for sustainability.
A Cone Communications study found that 87% of consumers will have a more positive image of a company that supports social or environmental issues. Consumers think more positively about a brand that aligns themselves with charitable causes.
Find your green...and be sure to communicate your efforts.
Learn more about greening on the .BIBLE blog.
3. Harness your reputation to attract the right people.
Having a reputation of generosity also impacts your ability to hire the best team.
Did you know that a study by Deloitte found that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success? The report goes on to say:
“There is a correlation between employees who say they are “happy at work” and feel “valued by [their] company” and those who say their organization has a clearly articulated and lived culture.”
Workers want to be missional in their work. Your brand should reflect your passion.
4. Remember that looks do matter.
We like the advice of Irene Sun, the branding strategist of Growth Hackers. To make a great impression with your brand, she recommends working through the following checklist:
- Make sure you have the same font across the entire website.
- Use the same logo across all social media platforms
- Optimize the size of your images
- Have a great color palette
- Watermark your posts with your beautiful logo
Once you’ve chosen and implemented your brand, consistently maintain it by utilizing it on all your platforms, campaigns and communications so that your target audience becomes familiar with it.
Pro Tip: Check out the helpful links at Growth Hackers for recommended sites to help you resize images, color-adjust photos and create transparency.
Do you plan on conducting e-commerce on your site? Read 3 Helpful Truths for E-Commerce Success.
5. Brand with your website.
As detailed by Shane Barker for Medium, a critical piece of the branding pie is your website. Barker encourages startups to carefully align their website with their brand identity. He writes:
“Nearly 2 billion people buy goods and services online. This makes your website an important storefront for your business. Convey your brand identity and messaging through your website. Everything ranging from the design and visuals to the content and copy should align with your brand voice and identity.”
One way to use the visibility of your website to enhance your brand is to curate the perfect URL. Since the .com and .org marketplaces are overcrowded, we recommend companies look into the not-com digital neighborhood, where the possibilities are endless.