How A Business Can Successfully Build Its Brand
A brand platform is the strategic foundation that governs all messaging and communications for a company and defines what a brand stands for, what it does, and why it does it. It articulates the desired position of the brand in the marketplace and drives marketing efforts to achieve that goal. Simply put, a brand platform provides focus and direction for a company looking to build its brand.
The key to having a great platform is to make sure that it’s clear, concise, and easy for employees to follow. The process of building a brand platform can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. The following are some ways a business can build its brand platform from scratch.
The first step is understanding what the business stands for and its values. This will be the foundation of everything else that the business will build on top of. The business’s purpose defines the business’s existence, what needs it fills in the marketplace, and, most importantly, what sets it apart from the competition.
According to Helen Lee Schifter, the purpose should be more than just making money— it should be something that drives the business and its team forward every day. Once the purpose of the business has been established, a mission statement can be crafted to guide the business’s goals. A mission statement should be clear, direct, and easy to remember.
The purpose and goals should also be communicated across all channels of the business, from its website to social media accounts to business newsletters.
The second step is to develop the business’s core values. These are the guiding principles that drive everything the business does—they should be more than just lip service; they should be reflected in everything from how the business treats its customers to how its products are designed.
After identifying the core values of the business, they should be made the center of all of its marketing materials; they should be immediately apparent to anyone who comes into contact with the brand of the business.
Finally, once a strong foundation is in place, the final step should involve the brand’s visual representation. This could be anything from choosing specific colors or fonts for all of the marketing materials to developing a unique logo or icon that people will instantly associate with the business.
It is also prudent to create a compelling story about the brand. This story should capture what makes the business unique and help people understand what it does and why it does. The story should also be integrated into all marketing communications; it should be clear to anyone who hears or reads about the business for the first time.
Brand platforms may seem like something only big companies need to worry about, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. According to former arbitrage trader Helen Lee Schifter, building a strong brand platform is essential for any business that wants to succeed in today’s competitive landscape.
By taking the time to understand the business’s values and mission and crafting a distinct tone of voice, and visuals that reflect the brand identity, it becomes easy to build a platform that will serve as the foundation for all future marketing efforts.