Having a quality product is important, as is marketing said product to costumers. But without a solid brand, your company could be dead in the water before you even launch. Fortunately, branding is a lot easier than a lot of people think, particularly when you are taking advice from seasoned entrepreneurs.
We asked seven entrepreneurs about surefire branding techniques that can help your startup go from barely noticeable to marketing sensation. Check out their answers below:
Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse
Many companies put the cart before the horse and focus on tactics before strategy. Really understand your value proposition and ensure everything you do connects back to that core. Also, ensure the tactics are high-value and look professional. Startups often scrimp on marketing elements and it is much better to do less and spend more to make a good first impression.
– Suzanna Smith of Social Impact Architects
Take Care of Your Customers
The least expensive way to get the word out about your brand is by focusing on your customer’s experience. It seems simple, but you’d be surprised at how many companies don’t put customers first. When customers feel well-taken care of, they tell others about your company. Customer testimonials and referrals that are genuine get way more attention than anything else.
– Vanessa Norberg of Metal Mafia
Use Facebook Remarketing and Interest Targeting
Facebook ads allows small businesses to reach new interest-based audiences at more manageable prices than Google AdWords. Well-executed Facebook ad campaigns can have CPCs that are significantly lower with higher conversion rates. If the KPI is branding, then Facebook can expose your business to a large number of people, and when you combine with remarketing, you can gain instant visibility.
– Marcela De Vivo of Gryffin
Get a Mantra
A mantra is an extension of your brand; it’s what you stand for. It communicates to both your customers and employees what your company is about. At Men’s Style Lab our mantra is to create effortless style. This is in both our tagline and our core values. If the things we do don’t make style effortless, than we’ve lost focus on our customer experience (brand), and we’re wasting our time and energy.
– Derian Baugh of Men’s Style Lab
Be Consistent
If you’re going to brand a certain way, whether it’s fonts, colors or typography, stay consistent throughout all branding efforts — and stick with it.
– Michael Mogill of Crisp Video Group
Craft an Elevator Pitch
When you’re first starting to promote your startup, the best way to do so is through word of mouth — your mouth. When you attend networking events and expos, make sure you have a consistent elevator pitch for the various clients or consumers you hope to attract to your business.
– Shayln Dever of Chatter Buzz
Be Yourself
When our company first started off, my business partner and I hid our biggest asset, which was a crazy, fan-girly passion for music. We didn’t want to seem overzealous or unprofessional. However, we one day realized that this was what made us special and started being to be ourselves in our pitch meetings. This is when our business started to exponentially accelerate!
– Cassie Petrey of Crowd Surf
Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC members generate billions of dollars in revenue and have created tens of thousands of jobs.
