brand you assignment

What’s the Point of a Personal Brand?

by Harrison Monarth

Summary .   

We often confuse our reputation as our personal brand. But that’s not true. Everyone has a reputation. The first impressions you make, the relationships you form with managers and peers, and how you communicate — all of these things impact how others see you.  Your personal brand, on the other hand, is much more intentional. It is how you want people to see you.

• To start building your personal brand, figure out what drives you. What motivates you to get up in the morning and go to work? What skills are you curious about but have yet to build? What subjects pique your interest?
• Next, align your values to your organization’s goals. Say your organization regularly brings the most cutting-edge new products to market and values leaders who challenge the status quo and think outside the box. How do your current strengths align with the company’s goals? You see yourself as a creative person, who loves solving complex problems. Given that, you may decide on “innovator” as your key personal brand attribute.
• Just like in the commercial world, a brand has no value unless people are aware of it. To increase your visibility, create a stakeholder map. It could be a simple list of people you want to know or people who can help you progress at the organization or an intricate document that highlights how others might be able to advocate for you.
• Finally, reach out to the people you want to connect with. When you meet them, use the opportunity to highlight your skills and interests and how those competencies might benefit them and their work.

One of new my coaching clients, Mike, a young manager in the finance industry with a prestigious MBA, was turned down for a promotion. When he asked his supervisor about the decision, his boss replied, “Because nobody knows you.”

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5 steps to building a personal brand you feel good about

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How To Write A Personal Brand Statement (With Examples)

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Whether you’re looking for a job , trying to expand your business and reach new clientele, or searching for career opportunities as an independent contractor, writing a powerful and engaging personal brand statement can help you reach all your professional goals . A strong personal brand statement that communicates your values, skills, and abilities is the foundation for building a solid and versatile personal brand that will carry you through your professional career. Key Takeaways: A personal brand statement is 1 to 3 sentences that uniquely sum up your values, skills, and expertise. Write a personal brand statement by first picking your audience and medium , then brainstorm, write a rough draft, and edit. Emphasize your unique value in your personal brand statement. Personal brand statements are helpful for standing out and networking. In This Article    Skip to section What Is A Personal Brand Statement? How To Write A Personal Brand Statement Tips For Writing A Personal Brand Statement Why Is a Personal Brand Statement Important? 13 Inspiring Personal Brand Statement Examples Final Thoughts Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What Is A Personal Brand Statement?

A personal brand statement is a one-to-three-sentence catchphrase that sums up your values, what you do, and your unique skills and abilities in your field of expertise. The most impressive personal brand statements read like slogans and work to capture the essence of your resume in just a few short lines.

That means writing a personal brand statement that’s short, catchy, compelling, descriptive, and unique all at the same time. Crafting a personal brand statement is much like writing a professional bio , in that it should communicate your personality, skills, and experiences.

A well-written personal brand statement is short and to the point and works to give prospective clients or employers an idea of what you offer and how you can benefit them.

Writing a personal brand statement is much like writing a vision statement , or a mission statement or slogan for a business. Typically, the branding message should be a short elevator pitch highlighting your professional skills and strengths or a unique value proposition.

To write a personal brand statement:

Pick your audience and medium. Before you write your personal brand statement, you need to know who it is for and how you are going to share it. Your personal brand statement could be for potential employers, clients, or peers to network with, or all of them combined. By knowing who you want to speak to, you will be more targeted in your words.

Equally important is knowing how you are going to share your personal brand statement. Will you share it on social media? Will it go on your personal website? Will it be supplemental material for your portfolio or resume ? The type of medium shouldn’t change the statement too much, but again, knowing what you plan to do with your personal brand statement helps you focus.

Brainstorm. Before you get to writing, brainstorm your values, your goals, your skills, and your experiences. Don’t worry so much about form or relevancy, the point is to get everything that makes you “you” onto paper. Once this is done you can have some more separation and look at yourself from a new perspective.

Write a rough draft. Write a rough draft of your personal statement. It is OK if it is longer than three sentences. The rough draft will help you focus in on your qualities you wish to define your personal brand statement.

Edit and get feedback. Here is the tricky part. You need to bring your rough draft down to something easily consumable. Pick your most important quality you want to define your personal brand statement. Be efficient and honest with your words to make it unique to you. Ask for feedback from your peers. It can help if you can find someone who is similar to your target audience, such as a professional mentor or former boss .

With this in mind you are on the right path to coming up with your own personal brand statement.

Tips For Writing A Personal Brand Statement

If it’s your first time writing a personal brand statement, we’ve got you covered. Many of the rules you follow when writing a traditional resume can also be applied to a personal brand statement. However, there are a few specifics you’ll need to keep in mind to write a perfect personal brand statement.

Here are the top five tips all professionals should follow when crafting a strong brand:

Understand your brand. Before you set out to write your personal brand statement you need to understand your brand and think about what you’re aiming to accomplish in your professional punchline.

To understand your brand you should think about your core values , what your most desirable skills, abilities, and qualifications are, what audience you want to appeal to in your personal brand statement, and what sets you apart from your peers. Having a strong brand identity will help you find career success.

Appeal to your audience. No matter what industry you work in, it’s important to think about your audience when crafting your personal brand statement. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your branding and marketing strategies and craft a message that resonates with career professionals and reaches your target network.

Emphasize your unique value. The best personal brand statements highlight an individual’s unique abilities and strongest selling points. By emphasizing your unique value your personal brand statement will serve to help you stand out and articulate your passions and motivations.

Be consistent and clever. Being consistent and highlighting your skills and services in a catchy way is essential in clearly communicating your brand. Ensuring that your personal brand statement is consistent with your actual values and professional abilities and is written cohesively and cleverly will help you stand out and build your brand.

Pay attention to your tone of voice. Your tone of voice can be very important when building a strong brand. Depending on what you aim to accomplish in your personal brand statement, you may want to use a casual, professional, or straightforward tone of voice.

Using an acceptable tone of voice will help your craft powerful branding that differentiates you from your peers and resonates with your target audience.

Why Is a Personal Brand Statement Important?

An effective personal brand statement can set you apart from the competition, help people recognize and remember you, help you network and find opportunities for career development, and grow your audience or client list.

Whether you’re a job-seeker, freelancer, entrepreneur , or employer, having a personal brand statement is an important element of branding and marketing and can be essential in finding and maintaining professional success.

Personal branding is also a great way for established industry professionals to find opportunities to participate in speaking engagement and professional networking events since the majority of professionals with a strong brand identity have an established online presence.

Personal brand statements are the perfect platform for showcasing your knowledge on a specific company or your industry expertise and can be displayed as an objective statement on your professional resume or your website, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile.

If you’re looking to get hired, land a big job interview, get a promotion , expand your professional network, and increase your likelihood to find overall career success, writing a powerful personal brand statement is essential.

13 Inspiring Personal Brand Statement Examples

When it comes to powerful branding and the brand development process, a little inspiration can do a long way. Here are 13 inspiring personal brand statements from established professionals across a wide range of occupational industries.

Marie Forleo. Marie Forleo, the host of the award-winning show MarieTV, keeps it light and simple with her personal brand statement. It reads:

Hi, I’m Marie. An entrepreneur, writer , philanthropist, and an unshakable optimist dedicated to helping you become the person you most want to be.

Nick Loper. Nick Loper, an entrepreneur and business coach , uses attention-grabbing words to connect with and draw in customers. His personal brand statement is short but striking. It reads:

Let’s build job-free income.

Selena Soo. This marketing and publicity strategist ’s brand statement is genuine, professional, and direct. The statement reads:

I’m a publicity and marketing strategist who helps experts, authors, and coaches go from ‘hidden gem’ to admired industry leader …and even a household name.

Adam Cobb. As a fitness and nutrition coach, exercise, a healthy diet, and a spiritual awareness are at the core of Adam Cobb’s life and career. He reiterates that in his personal brand statement, keeping things clear and concise. The statement reads:

Move well, eat well, think well.

Irene Koehler. Working as a personal branding coach, Irene Koehler knows a thing or two about personal brand statements. She keeps hers short, punchy, and powerful. It reads:

I transform accomplished women from unknown to unforgettable with a strategic, trustworthy personal brand.

Darrell Franklin. As the head of industry at Google, Darrell Franklin lets his leadership skills and industry expertise shine in his personal brand statement. It reads:

Innovation is in my blood…I seek to find ways to adapt when needed and disrupt when possible. For the past 15+ years, I have been at the forefront of digital evolution and transformation as an intrepid business strategist , thought leader, and functional operator , and called on to develop solutions and technologies that have enabled stronger customer engagement, retention, and loyalty.

Jessi Fearon. This personal finance and budget blogger gets right to the point in her personal brand statement. It reads:

Real life on a budget.

Tony Robbins. Tony Robbins is known for his inspiring self-improvement books and speeches. He’s almost equally as known for his personal brand statement. The statement is crisp and motivational, reading:

Transform your life.

Larry Kim. Larry Kim, CEO of MobileMonkey, Inc. and founder of WordStream, Inc., recognizes the importance of diversity and creativity. The marketing expert has set himself apart from his peers through a unique, fun, and nontraditional approach to a personal brand statement. The statement reads:

Be a unicorn in a sea of donkeys.

Brittany Berger. Content marketer Brittany Berger knows how to stand out from the crowd . Her personal brand statement peaks interest and grabs attention by challenging popular and traditional ideas. The statement reads:

Create less content. (It’ll be fine! I promise!)

Chandler Bolt. Chandler Bolt is an author and the founder of Self-Publishing School who, through a clever, motivational, and relatable personal brand statement, inspires his clients to publish their first book. His statement reads:

Hi, I’m Chandler Bolt. Six-time bestselling author and founder of Self Publishing School. There’s a book inside you, And my goal is to help you find it and go from blank page to bestselling author — even if you’re busy, idea-less, or bad at writing like me.

Ann Handley. This best-selling author and digital marketing expert uses a casual tone in her personal brand statement but gets straight to the point to capture interest and increase her marketability. Her statement reads:

Empowering ridiculously good marketing.

Andrea Perez. After an impressive career, Andrea Perez, global vice president and general manager for Nike’s Jordan Women’s brand, knows she’s valuable as a consumer marketer. Her personal brand statement exudes confidence and professionalism . It reads:

I’m a modern, fearless, digitally-driven, and globally savvy brand/ business leader with over 15 years of experience representing two of the most exciting, influential consumer brands in the world. I live for opportunities to deliver game-changing, digital and physical global marketing programs that deepen consumer connections, accelerate revenue, and drive brand growth.

Final Thoughts

Writing a short, strong, and catchy personal brand statement is the perfect way to convey your value as an industry professional and showcase your personality , passion, skills, and values. Summing up your experience and abilities in a personal brand statement or tagline can lead to various opportunities for professional growth.

By following the tips and examples provided in this article you’ll be one step closer to establishing your brand appealing to potential customers, professional connections, and employers.

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Elsie is an experienced writer, reporter, and content creator. As a leader in her field, Elsie is best known for her work as a Reporter for The Southampton Press, but she can also be credited with contributions to Long Island Pulse Magazine and Hamptons Online. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Stony Brook University and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.

Matt Warzel a President of a resume writing firm (MJW Careers, LLC) with 15+ years of recruitment, outplacement, career coaching and resume writing experience. Matt is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Focus) from John Carroll University.

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Building a personal brand has never been easier or more important than it is today. Anyone with access to the internet and social media can build an audience, position themselves as an expert, and start attracting clients for their business. 

A study by Upwork revealed that the freelance workforce is growing at a rate 3x faster than the overall workforce in the U.S. By 2027, freelancers are expected to make up the majority of the U.S. workforce.

The key to differentiating yourself from your competition? Learn how to build a personal brand and attract a community of like-minded, loyal followers. Here’s what you need to know.

Follow along or skip ahead:

Why every entrepreneur should build a personal brand

• 6 benefits of building a personal brand

Build your brand foundation

Find your target audience, craft an irresistible offer, optimize your website, create a content strategy, have a visibility strategy, grow your community, start building your personal brand, get the free personal branding worksheet.

Download our fillable workbook to help develop your personal brand strategy and brand content tactics

A personal brand communicates who you are – including your unique strengths, expertise, personal values, and motivations.

When you learn how to build a personal brand, you learn how to market your strengths in a way that’s appealing to your target audience, establishing a personal connection with potential customers, followers, and partners.

A personal brand can help you get ahead – whether you’re building a business, pitching and applying for opportunities, or looking to strengthen an existing brand.

Why? Because people are generally more interested in following other people than they are in following specific companies. That means building an audience for your personal brand can also help increase exposure for an existing company too.

Elon Musk , for example, has more followers than 3 of his companies (Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity) combined. The same is true of Richard Branson (Virgin), Arianna Huffington (Thrive Global), Gary Vaynerchuck (VaynerMedia), and countless other highly successful entrepreneurs. They all have strong personal brands that they leverage to increase exposure and attract more customers to their companies.

You don’t have to choose between building a personal brand and a company brand. You can build both simultaneously. #personalbranding 

“Having a personal brand is important for an entrepreneur because now more than ever, it’s important for CEOs and founders of companies/brands to come out to the forefront and connect with their audiences. People connect with people.” – Kevin Stimpson

6 benefits of building a personal brand:

• Increase trust and authority: Having a personal brand helps to build trust with your audience and position you as an authority and thought leader in your industry.
• Get featured in media: The media is in constant search of experts that can share their insights with their audience. A personal brand makes it easier for you to pitch and be found by influential media outlets – including online publications, magazines, television, radio, podcasts, and more. 
• Build your network: When you know how to build a personal brand that clearly articulates who you are, what you do, and how you help others, it makes it easier for other people and entrepreneurs to see value in connecting with you. You can leverage your personal brand to build your network – both online and offline – quickly and effectively.
• Attract more clients: Building a personal brand that positions you as the go-to expert in a specific industry or niche helps you attract more of your ideal clients – and when you’re positioned as an expert, it’s easier for people to refer clients to you too.
• Demand premium prices: Having a strong personal brand helps justify charging premium prices for your products and services. Without a brand, you become a commodity that competes on cost  (and there will always be competitors that can beat your price) – a personal brand communicates your value to your audience, allowing you to demand more money for the same services.
• Create a lasting platform: Over time, your business will evolve. You may even start multiple businesses in different industries. Your personal brand stays with you as you move from one venture to the next, creating a cohesive story that your audience and any potential customers can recognize and connect with.

“With SO MUCH content and SO MANY small businesses popping up online, a brand that connects to a person’s face is much easier to trust faster. It takes less time and effort to build a relationship with a personal brand as compared to a business brand.” – Pia Silva

How to build a compelling & profitable personal brand in 7 steps

After interviewing dozens of successful entrepreneurs and branding experts, we’ve outlined 7 specific steps to help you learn how to build a personal brand that’s both magnetic and monetizable –  to attract your ideal clients and open up new opportunities for your business.

We also created a Personal Branding Workbook to help you develop your personal brand strategy as you read through these steps. Download it now.

There’s a common misconception that building a personal brand means crafting a persona. But the truth is, a persona is not a true reflection of who you are. The result? Any attempt to build a brand around a persona feels inauthentic and fails to connect with your target audience.

The first step to building a personal brand is to lay a foundation that you can confidently and authentically build upon. The key principle here is authenticity .

Personal branding is not about positioning yourself as something you’re not. It’s about purposefully and strategically showcasing your authentic self to your audience and your customers to better connect with them. Your personal brand should be a true reflection of your genuine skills, strengths, passions, values, and beliefs.

It’s not only easier to show up as yourself, it will also have a stronger impact and resonate better with your target audience.

“You want to find the special thing that is YOU and make your brand all about that. You can’t make it up, it has to be real (though it can and probably should be a little exaggerated).” – Pia Silva

Know your assets

When you’re building a personal brand, start by taking stock of the strengths, skills and assets you already have. Try asking yourself these questions:

• Skills and credentials: What skills have I acquired throughout my life? What training, credentials, certifications, or awards have I received?
• Passions and interests: What topics and industries am I most interested in? What am I passionate about? What subjects make my eyes light up? 
• Core values and beliefs: What are some of my most important core values? What do I believe in? What do I stand for? What do I stand against?

Write 3 lists for each of the bullet points and then identify any patterns and crossovers that you could use as the foundation of your personal brand.

Identify key elements of your personal brand

The next step is to start piecing together the key elements of your personal brand. These will help guide your decisions as you build your brand. Ask yourself: 

• Your brand vision: What do I want to be known for? If I became the world’s go-to expert on XYZ topic, what would I want that to be?
• Your brand mission : Why do I want to build a personal brand? What is my purpose? Who do I want to influence? What do I want to accomplish?
• Your brand message : What is the key message I want to communicate? What message do I want to consistently reinforce in my content and my marketing? If I could only give one piece of advice to my audience, what would it be?
• Your brand personality : What are some of my personal characteristics and traits that I can weave into my brand? Do I want to be perceived as polished and professional, or perhaps more quirky and adventurous, for example?

“A great brand starts with understanding who you are, what you stand for, understanding your marketplace, and understanding your positioning. What is the perception that you need to create in order to appeal to the target audience that you’re trying to appeal to?”

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as you build a personal brand is to try to appeal to everyone. In reality, not everyone is your ideal client. 

It might seem counterintuitive, but if you try to be liked by everyone, you’ll appeal to no one. The truth is, you don’t need to reach everyone to build a successful business. You just need to reach your perfect clients.  

That means identifying a specific target audience – and building a personal brand that speaks to them specifically.

“The foundation of a strong personal brand is how well you understand your audience and the problems they face. Then you can define why you care and how you solve those problems, which is what you’ll be remembered for.” – Kyle Gray

Download the audience research workbook!

Create an ideal customer profile.

The more you understand about your perfect client, including their desires, needs and challenges, the more prepared you’ll be to create the products and services they truly want and need.

Here are some questions to help you create your perfect client profile  – also known as a customer avatar:

• Demographics: What is your ideal customer’s age, location, gender, education, relationship status, income, profession, and more?
• Desires and aspirations: What is their desired future? What are their dreams, goals, and aspirations?
• Pain points and challenges: What are they currently struggling with? What is preventing them from achieving their goals?

To learn more about how to create your perfect client profile, check out our guide to How To Define Your Target Audience (+Templates & Workbooks) .

“To have a strong personal brand, you have to stand for something, believe in a certain way of doing things, and proudly communicate those beliefs from your platform. Brands who don’t achieve this get lukewarm audience response and wonder why their audiences aren’t called to action by their efforts.” – Amanda Bond

A key part of learning how to build a personal brand is understanding how to create an irresistible offer that will help your audience solve a specific problem or achieve a specific result.

A lot of entrepreneurs make the mistake of creating a generic product or service that they think their audience wants, only to discover that no one wants it – and is much less willing to pay for it.

This is why identifying your perfect client before you create a product or service is so important. When you know exactly who you want to help, you can create an offer that is the perfect solution for the challenges they’re facing.

How to create an offer your clients will love

The first step to crafting an irresistible offer is to position yourself as a specialist – rather than a generalist. A generic offer with a vague promise is definitely not irresistible.

Instead, you want to promise your clients a very specific outcome and design a specialized offer to help them achieve that outcome. 

Next, find the overlap between what you love, what you do best and what your ideal clients want most. Then create an offer that sits at the intersection of those criteria. We call this the Irresistible Offer Formula .

Irresistible Offer Formula:

What you love to do + What you do best + What your audience wants most = Irresistible offer

Once you have your irresistible offer, you need to be able to articulate its value clearly and succinctly to your audience. Here are two questions you should be able to answer:

• What do you do? Your answer to this question is your value proposition . What is the value you provide to your clients in exchange for their investment?
• How do you do it? What is special about your process, product, or service? Try to give it a unique, catchy name. When you name your process or service, you immediately help it to stand out from any competing offers that promise the same results.

Example: Nicholas Kusmich , a Facebook Advertising Strategist, helps businesses rapidly scale revenue by getting more clients using Facebook Advertising. That’s what he does . To help him stand out from thousands of other Facebook Advertising experts who do the same thing, he developed a proprietary process and he gave it a unique name: “Contextual Congruence”.

Here’s a screenshot from his website homepage, describing what he does in a way that differentiates him from his competitors:

“People need to know who you are and what you do in the most simple way possible. Keep it simple. You should be able to brand yourself in 5 words or less.” – Grant Cardone

A personal website is an important component of building a personal brand. Unlike your social media profiles, you own and control your website. That means every visitor is a potential lead that you can convert into a customer. 

First impressions are critical. When your target audience lands on your personal website, they should be able to immediately identify and understand who you are and how you can help them. They should feel like they’ve come to the right place. 

If this doesn’t happen within a few seconds, most new visitors will simply bounce and leave your website.

As well as communicating your offer and your value, your website should also be optimized to convert casual visitors into paying customers. There are several key elements required to make this happen – and most of them belong right on your homepage.

Key elements of your website homepage: 

• Your value proposition : Make sure your unique value proposition – who you help and how you help them – is pride of place on your homepage, ideally near the top.
• Professional photography : Get a photographer to take several professional-quality photographs of you. Use these photographs throughout your website and on your social media profiles so your audience can recognize you.
• Social proof: Add social proof to your homepage – including the logos of any publications or media outlets you’ve been featured in, testimonials and reviews from happy customers, links to case studies, and more.
• A clear call-to-action: Give your website visitors a clear next step to encourage them to take action – whether it’s joining your email list, registering for a free webinar, or applying for a free call, demo or consultation.
• A professional logo: If you’re building a personal brand, you need a logo. You can design this yourself or enlist the help of a professional graphic designer . 

A great example of a personal brand website comes from our friend Jeanine Blackwell . Here’s a screenshot of her website’s homepage, which contains all of the essential elements of an optimized personal branding website:

Other important pages for your personal brand website

Here are 4 other key pages to include in your personal brand website.

Use your website’s About Page to share your personal story. 

Why do you do what you do? Who do you help? How do you help them? How did you get into your industry? What experience and credentials do you have?

To see an example of a well-written About Page, check out Chris Ducker’s website . Here’s a screenshot of just one part of his About Page where he shares his personal story to build a connection with his target audience:

Products or services page

Make it easy for your website visitors to become clients or customers by including a services page. List any products, programs and/or services you have for sale, along with links to your product landing pages where potential customers can learn more about what you offer, sign up or make a purchase (depending on your sales process).

Remember to communicate your unique offer in all your content. Highlight what makes your products and services unique compared to your competitors.

For example, Thinkific creator Kristen Bousquet lists all her different offerings on her services page. Check out her page for inspo on how to list out your different products.

Contact page

Give your website visitors a specific and convenient way to get in touch. 

On your website, include different methods for contacting you  including email, social media, phone, and more. You can also include a contact form that will send you an email when someone submits a form.

One of the best contact pages we’ve seen comes from Lewis Howes . To help organize incoming contact requests, he has different contact forms created for different types of inquiries:

Content and free resources

Help your audience to learn more and get valuable information from your website by including additional content and free resources. You can write blog posts, post podcast episodes, share helpful videos , provide a list of resources you recommend, and much, much more.

Adding content to your personal website not only helps to communicate more value to your target audience – it will also boost your site SEO by including more content and keywords related to your niche, so you’re more likely to show up in searches and drive more traffic to your site.

Find out more ways to boost traffic to your website here.

“When you build a brand that’s 100% based on you, you lay the foundation to capitalize on your own blue ocean – a space where you can operate in an uncontested marketplace, free from traditional competitive forces – because none of your competitors can replicate or clone all that’s unique and proprietary to YOU.” – Paul Ramondo

Creating and distributing free content is one of the most effective ways to build your personal brand and earn the attention of your target audience. 

Instead of trying to convince your audience that you can help them, create content that actually helps them. This builds trust, loyalty and helps to position you as an expert and an authority in your industry.

It’s not a coincidence that some of the most successful personal brands today – including Grant Cardone , Marie Forleo , and Gary Vaynerchuck to name a few – publish significant amounts of content online to help build and nurture their audience.

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How to build a content strategy for your personal brand.

To create a content strategy for your personal brand, start by making a list of all of the topics that could be helpful for your target audience and that you’re passionate about. 

Then do a simple search online to see what content your competitors are creating and identify potential niches – the idea is to find the types of content and topics that your audience want to see but that has not already been covered in-depth and in-full by other brands.

Google’s Keyword Planner , BuzzSumo , and Answer The Public are all great tools for doing keyword research and discovering popular topics that people are searching for online. 

The next step is to decide which type of content to create and where you will publish that content. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Types of content:

• Blogs and articles
• Online courses
• Guides, checklists, worksheets
• Infographics
• Case studies

Places to publish your content:

• On your website
• Podcast directories (iTunes, Stitcher, etc.)
• Other blogs and online publications
• Social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)

“Identify some core themes in which you strongly believe and build a series of content around that and then keep hammering it home.” – Sam Mallikarjunan

Focus on quality and consistency 

For content marketing to work, it’s important to focus on quality and consistency. 

Don’t publish content that will reflect poorly on your brand. Every piece of content you produce should speak to your target audience and drive home your personal brand’s key message and themes. 

Try to be consistent with how often you publish new content for your audience. Content marketing is a long-term game – but it pays off if you put in the work.

We recommend starting with 1-2 primary content types when building a personal brand –  such as blog posts and videos, along with 1-2 primary content mediums  – such as your personal blog and YouTube . 

Once you get into a routine of creating and posting your primary content, as well as engaging with your target audience, you can expand into other content types and mediums to reach more people.

Check out our complete guide to How To Generate Leads With Content Marketing .

“A strong personal brand is cohesive, clear, consistent and aims to serve a specific audience. A personal brand is important for an entrepreneur because it’s the best way to share your authentic message and attract YOUR specific tribe!” – Jennifer Gottlieb

Stick to your niche

When you’re first learning how to build a personal brand, it’s a good idea to stick to one niche and one message so your audience knows instantly who you are and why they should follow you. This is the fastest way to kickstart your personal brand.

As you grow and build a community, you can incorporate more topics and themes into your content, gradually expanding the range of subjects you cover.

Here’s a tip from ex-Youtube employee turned YouTuber Jon Youshaei about how to find your niche while still experimenting:

“There are two types of creators: those with ‘variety shows’ and those with ‘talk shows’. Having a talk show is what too many creators do. They stick to the same formats and film in the same place. On the other hand, ‘variety show’ creators experiment much more.”

Youshaei made this visual to show the difference:

Test out different formats and ways of presenting your content to see what works – but remember to stay “married” to your niche while experimenting to avoid losing your audience completely.

“For my content, my goal was to have a ‘variety show’ about the creator economy. That meant I experimented with formats like on-the-street interviews, office hours, short stories and more. I double downed on the ones that worked and stopped making the ones that didn’t. But never in the process did I stray so far away from my niche. ”

For more practical tips from Jon Youshaei, check out his Insider Accelerator where he shares his best tips from working inside YouTube and Instagram for 8 years.

Related: Jon Youshaei’s Guide to Endless Social Media Content Ideas

Publishing content on your own platforms is a great way to build your audience, but it also takes a lot of time. A speedier way to build your audience is through exposure to other people’s audiences .

Here are some popular ways to increase your visibility online.

Visibility strategy ideas:

• Interviews and appearances: Secure guest appearances and interviews on podcasts, webinars, and virtual events, as well as traditional media channels like TV and radio.
• Guest blogging: Write content for other blogs and online publications that have the same audience as your personal brand and authority in your niche.
• Public speaking: Apply to speak at live events and conferences that your target audience attends.
• Partnerships and joint ventures: Build mutually beneficial relationships with other brands, influencers and businesses online to open up opportunities including interviews, joint ventures , partnerships, customer referrals, and more.

“The single biggest growth hack is getting yourself featured on major publications. If you want to build authority and credibility in your niche, what better way to do that than getting one of the most prestigious brands to mention you? This gives you instant credibility.” – Ulyses Osuna

We all crave connection. Level up your personal brand by building a community and create a space online that’s just for them.

Instead of trying to draw in a broad audience, focus on becoming a leader in your specific niche. Define your target audience, create content that’s designed for them and build a community where they can hang out online – including sharing ideas, supporting one another, and reaching out to you directly.

Here are a few ways you can build a community around your brand and business.

3 ideas to build a community around your personal brand

• Membership Sites: Create a membership site where your customers can access exclusive content, Q&As, live webinars and more, as well as a members-only forum or group for encouraging discussions, conversations, and sharing.
• Facebook Groups: Create a private Facebook Group for your audience and customers to open up the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with your followers on a daily basis – and give them a space where they can interact and engage with each other.
• Live Events: Host live events so your audience and customers can spend time with you in-person. Casual meetups, private dinners, workshops, retreats, and mastermind groups are all great ways to solidify long-term relationships with your audience.

“A strong personal brand is one that has a high level of impact, which then leads to influence amongst the people who follow you. The key is to leverage social media and other social platforms and environments to create relevant and meaningful dialogues between you and the people you want to impact.” – Mark Lack

Related: 13 Membership Site Examples that Will Inspire You

There has never been a better time to build a personal brand. Literally anyone can build a brand and a community online – and create products and services to sell to their target audience.

And the best part? There is no other person in the world that is exactly like you. As an individual, you are 100% unique. That’s why building a personal brand is so powerful – when you show up as yourself and start building a personal brand, you immediately differentiate yourself from your competitors because YOU are different. When you’re authentically you, you’ll find people who want to hear what you have to say.

“We all have a personal brand whether we think about it that way or not. So, let’s be intentional about it. A strong brand to me means that your message is identifiable.” – Kathy Klotz-Guest

Start building a personal brand and monetizing your expertise today. Try Thinkific for free and create your first digital product from scratch.

This blog was published originally in January 2020, it’s since been updated in April 2024 to include the most up to date information.

Elizabeth Harris is a content marketer and copywriter with a passion for helping businesses get the most out of their content, helping to educate, inspire, and engage audiences.

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Brand Identity: The Definitive Guide to Building a Strong, Consistent, and Memorable Brand Image in 2024

Discover your brand's unique character. Reveal the truth with our free quiz!

A powerful brand identity can be a game-changer for small businesses, startups, and marketers eager to leave their mark and grow their businesses faster.

What is brand identity?

Brand identity embodies the visual and emotional representation of your brand. It comprises elements like your logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and messaging, which convey your brand's values, personality, and promise.

A memorable and consistent brand identity distinguishes you from the competition and fosters customer trust and loyalty.

Over the past fifteen years, our team has empowered over 101,000 entrepreneurs, small businesses, and agencies to create and enhance their visual identities. We have been keynote speakers at numerous conferences and webinars on brand identity, frequently sharing our insights on our blog and at industry events.

This guide shares the practical knowledge, tips, best practices, and expertise we’ve honed after helping over one hundred thousand of the world’s most successful brands.

Brand Identity: The Definitive Guide

Why is brand identity important for small businesses and startups, best practices for creating a powerful brand identity, common pain points in creating a brand identity, leveraging your brand identity for powerful marketing results.

Brand identity is more than just logos and colors – it’s about the heart and soul of your business and how it connects with customers. Here’s why a solid brand identity is crucial for your business’s growth and success:

• Creates a strong first impression.  A well-crafted brand identity instantly communicates your business’s values and personality, making a powerful first impression on potential customers. For example, Apple’s sleek and minimalist logo and design aesthetic give customers the impression of a high-quality, innovative technology company.
• Builds trust and credibility.  A consistent and professional brand identity helps build customer trust, making them more likely to choose your business over your competitors. For example, Starbucks has built a reputation for quality and consistency, leading customers to trust their brand no matter where they are.
• Increases customer recognition.  Distinctive brand identity makes your business easily recognizable, helping customers remember and identify your brand . For example, McDonald’s golden arches and red-and-yellow color schemes are instantly identifiable, even from a distance.
• Differentiates you from competitors.  A unique brand identity sets your business apart from competitors and helps you stand out in a crowded market. For example, Tesla’s sleek electric cars and innovative branding have helped it differentiate itself from traditional automakers.
• Creates brand loyalty.  A strong brand identity fosters a connection with customers, encouraging them to become loyal, repeat customers . For example, loyal fans of Nike’s athletic wear appreciate the company’s commitment to innovation, quality, and performance.
• Simplifies decision-making for customers.  A clear and consistent brand identity helps customers understand what your business stands for and makes it easier for them to choose your products or services. For example, Patagonia’s commitment to environmental sustainability is evident in its branding , making it a go-to choice for eco-conscious consumers.
• Attracts like-minded employees.  A well-defined brand identity can help you attract employees who share your company’s values and are passionate about your mission. For example, Google’s playful and innovative brand identity attracts top talent in technology.
• Enhances marketing efforts.  A cohesive brand identity provides a strong foundation for marketing campaigns, ensuring your messaging is consistent and resonates with your target audience. For example, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign leveraged its iconic logo and typography to create personalized bottles, making it a global success.
• Encourages customer referrals.  Customers who feel strongly connected to your brand are more likely to recommend your products or services to others. For example, Everlane’s transparent pricing and ethical manufacturing practices have earned it a dedicated fan base that actively promotes the brand.
• Adds value to your business.  A strong brand identity can increase the perceived value of your products or services, allowing you to charge a premium. For example, Apple’s premium pricing strategy is supported by its carefully cultivated brand identity, emphasizing quality, innovation, and design.

Each reason is essential but will vary depending on your business and industry. Be sure to prioritize those that are most relevant to your unique business.

Define your brand’s purpose and values

Start by determining your brand’s core purpose and values , which will guide your brand identity and help you connect with your target audience.

For example, TOMS Shoes emphasizes its commitment to social responsibility with its “One for One” giving model, while Ben & Jerry’s showcases its environmental and social activism through its branding and product names.

Know your target audience

Understand your ideal customer’s needs, preferences, and pain points to create a brand identity that resonates with your target audience .

For instance, Glossier’s minimalist and inclusive branding appeals to the modern beauty enthusiast.

Crowdspring, a custom design and naming platform, targets small business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs from various industries. By understanding its clients’ needs for affordable, high-quality design services, crowdspring can create a brand identity that appeals to its target audience.

Define your brand’s core values and personality

Your brand identity should reflect your brand’s core values and personality . Defining these elements will guide your design choices and help you create a consistent brand image.

For example, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, has a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Their brand identity, featuring earthy colors and rugged imagery, reflects these values and appeals to their environmentally-conscious audience.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis can help you develop a higher-level understanding of your business and the context in which it operates.

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning framework used to take a big-picture look at your brand and business’s internal and external factors. “SWOT” stands for S trengths,  W eaknesses,  O pportunities, and  T hreats.

By examining your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, you may find a path to new growth.

As part of your SWOT analysis, remember to ask questions that can help you to define your brand identity .

Develop a unique visual identity

Create a distinctive visual identity, including a memorable logo, color palette, typography, and imagery that reflects your brand’s personality and values.

For example, Spotify uses bold colors, custom typography, and dynamic visuals to represent its brand as an innovative and energetic music streaming service.

In contrast, Airbnb’s simple and friendly logo and visuals emphasize the home-sharing platform’s welcoming and community-driven nature.

Develop a brand style guide

A brand style guide is a document that outlines the rules and guidelines for using your brand’s visual elements. It ensures consistency across all touchpoints, strengthening your brand identity.

For example, in custom logo design projects, crowdspring logo designers typically provide clients with a style guide that includes their unique logo, color palette, typography, and other visual elements, ensuring consistency in their brand identity.

Craft a consistent brand voice

Your brand voice should reflect your brand’s personality and values and remain consistent across all channels and touchpoints.

For example, Mailchimp’s friendly and approachable brand voice makes email marketing accessible to small businesses, while Dollar Shave Club’s witty and irreverent tone stands out in the crowded grooming market.

Create a memorable tagline

A catchy and meaningful business tagline can help communicate your brand’s essence and make it more memorable.

For example, BMW’s “The Ultimate Driving Machine” highlights the brand’s focus on performance and luxury, while L’Oréal’s “Because You’re Worth It” empowers consumers and conveys a sense of self-worth.

Be consistent across all channels

Ensure that your brand identity is consistent across all marketing channels , both online and offline, to create a cohesive brand experience .

For example, Casper’s clean and minimalist branding is evident on its website, social media, and physical stores. Warby Parker’s hip and socially conscious brand identity extends from its website to brick-and-mortar locations.

Tell a compelling brand story

Share your brand story to create an emotional connection with your audience.

For example, SoulCycle tells the story of its founders’ quest for a unique fitness experience that was more than just a workout. Honest Tea shares its journey to create a healthier, more sustainable beverage option.

Encourage employee buy-in

Ensure that your employees understand and embody your brand’s values and identity, as they are often the face of your brand to customers.

For example, Zappos empowers its employees to provide exceptional customer service, while Southwest Airlines encourages its staff to showcase their friendly and fun personalities.

Monitor and refine your brand identity

Regularly evaluate your brand’s performance and make adjustments to ensure it remains relevant and resonates with your audience.

For example, Old Spice rebranded itself with humorous and unconventional advertising campaigns to attract a younger demographic. Burberry revitalized its brand by modernizing its design aesthetic and embracing digital marketing.

Protect your brand’s intellectual property

Register your brand’s trademarks , copyrights , and domain names to protect your brand identity and prevent competitors from copying your unique elements.

For example, Google and Amazon have invested in protecting their intellectual property to maintain their strong brand identities and market positions.

By following these best practices, you can create a powerful and enduring brand identity that helps your business stand out, connect with your target audience, and drive long-term success.

Small business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs face several common challenges when creating a brand identity for their businesses. Addressing these pain points is critical to creating a brand that effectively communicates your values and resonates with your target audience.

Here are the most common obstacles, and actionable solutions, to help you navigate these challenges and create a powerful brand identity for your business:

Knowing where to start

Entrepreneurs can be overwhelmed by the process of creating a brand identity.

Begin by conducting market research , understanding your target audience, and defining your brand’s mission , vision, and values.

For example, Warby Parker started by identifying a gap in the eyewear market for affordable, stylish glasses, while TOMS Shoes built its brand on the premise of giving back through its “One for One” model.

Lack of a brand identity strategy

A comprehensive brand strategy can help ensure your brand identity is cohesive and effective.

Develop a plan that includes your brand story, visual elements, messaging, and communication channels.

For example, Airbnb’s brand identity strategy centers on creating a sense of belonging reflected in its messaging, visuals, and user experience. Glossier’s strategy focuses on minimalism and transparency, appealing to a beauty-savvy audience.

Using online logo generators

Using generic logo generators can result in less distinctive brand identity and potential intellectual property issues.

New business owners often incorrectly believe that a good logo will cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars (that’s untrue – check out this guide to how much a logo design should cost ).

Investing in a custom-designed logo can help your brand stand out and avoid legal complications. For example, Spotify’s distinctive, custom logo sets it apart in the music streaming market, while Mailchimp’s unique, illustrated logo helps it stand out in the email marketing space.

Limited budget and lack of design expertise

Many small businesses and startups face budget constraints when developing a brand identity.

Entrepreneurs without design experience may struggle to create a visually appealing brand identity.

You can create a professional brand identity without breaking the bank by leveraging cost-effective resources and collaborating with professional designers.

For example, crowdspring is an excellent option for those on a tight budget, offering custom logo design and business naming services at competitive prices (starting at $299, including all fees). With its flexible pricing and wide range of design categories, crowdspring allows you to create a powerful brand identity while staying within your budget.

Differentiating from competitors

Standing out in a crowded market can be difficult. Identifying and conveying your unique selling proposition (USP) through your brand identity can help you stand out.

For example, Everlane differentiates itself with its “radical transparency” regarding pricing and manufacturing, while Purple Mattress emphasizes its unique materials and technology.

Maintaining brand consistency

Ensuring brand consistency across various channels and touchpoints can be challenging. Developing a comprehensive brand style guide can help maintain a cohesive brand experience.

Take Coca-Cola, for instance, which upholds a uniform visual identity and brand voice across all its marketing platforms. Similarly, Starbucks achieves consistency not just in-store but also through its packaging and digital presence. Brands like Facebook and Amazon streamline their user experience with shortened domains for easy link sharing on their platforms.

Evolving with the market

As consumer tastes and trends change, ensure that your brand identity evolves.

This doesn’t mean you should constantly change your logo or visuals. Some companies, like Target, Nike, and BMW, have kept their logo consistent for decades while adapting their brands to stay in step with the times.

McDonald’s has updated its menu and restaurant design to meet modern preferences, while Apple continuously evolves its product design and branding to stay ahead of competitors.

For Target, evolution has not been limited to visual refreshes (their logo has changed over the years); it has also included updating their brands, store layouts, and staff uniforms.

Remember, your brand is a living document of what your company represents, and it’s a vital connection between your customers and your business. Listen to what your customers say on social media, and don’t be afraid to involve them in the discussion. As your customers change, so should your brand identity.

Navigating cultural differences

Businesses targeting international markets must consider cultural nuances in their branding. Adapting your brand identity to resonate with local audiences can help you succeed in new markets.

For example, KFC adapts its menu and marketing strategies to local tastes in China, while IKEA modifies its product offerings and marketing materials for different countries.

With clients from 100+ countries, crowdspring regularly interacts across time zones, cultural differences, and business practices.

Managing customer perceptions

Aligning your brand identity with customer expectations is crucial for building trust and loyalty. Regularly soliciting customer feedback and addressing concerns can help manage perceptions.

For example, JetBlue Airways consistently addresses customer feedback on social media, while Trader Joe’s responds to customer preferences by offering unique, high-quality products at affordable prices.

Protecting your brand’s reputation

A strong brand identity can be undermined by negative publicity or crises. Developing a proactive crisis management plan and responding effectively to issues can help protect your reputation.

For example, Tylenol successfully navigated a product tampering crisis by prioritizing customer safety, while Toyota addressed safety recalls with transparency and comprehensive corrective actions.

Measuring brand performance

Identifying the right metrics to evaluate your brand’s success can be challenging. Tracking brand awareness, customer satisfaction , and brand equity can provide valuable insights.

For example, Nike monitors its brand performance through sales, market share, and customer feedback, while Patagonia tracks its social and environmental impact alongside financial metrics.

Balancing creativity and practicality

Striking the right balance between creative expression and practical considerations can be challenging. Collaborating with designers and marketers who understand your industry and target audience can help you find this balance.

Tasks that used to be expensive and complex are now affordable and quick. For example, if your product photos are sub-par, consider product retouching services that can correct colors, remove or replace backgrounds, remove or add objects, etc.

Slack’s playful and engaging brand identity is balanced with a functional and user-friendly interface, while Tesla combines innovative design with practical features to appeal to eco-conscious consumers.

By addressing these common pain points , small businesses and startups can create a strong and enduring brand identity that resonates with their target audience and drives long-term success.

Rebranding the right way

Rebranding can be an excellent way to refresh your brand by incorporating modern aesthetics into your existing company’s identity. Sometimes, a visual overhaul can help inspire consumer loyalty in existing and new markets.

However, if you introduce changes poorly, you risk isolating your potential customer base and alienating your existing one.

When making changes to an established brand identity, you need to be sure any modifications have benefits that significantly outweigh the risks of potentially losing business.

Even influential brands make mistakes when rebranding.

In 2010, Gap, a popular clothing retailer, rebranded by changing its iconic logo. The original logo, featuring the brand’s name in capital letters and a square with a blue background, was replaced with a new design: the name “Gap” in a smaller font and a small blue square placed above the letter “p.” Customers and design professionals hated the redesign.

The backlash was so intense that Gap reverted to its original logo within a week. The failed rebranding attempt cost the company money and damaged its reputation.

Gap’s rebranding failure teaches other businesses the importance of understanding your target audience and their emotional connection with your brand before making significant changes.

Tropicana’s rebranding misstep occurred when they replaced their recognizable packaging featuring an orange with a straw with a minimalist design showing a glass of orange juice. This change made it harder to identify the brand on store shelves.

The backlash led to a 20% drop in sales within two months. Tropicana quickly reverted to the original packaging, acknowledging they had underestimated customers’ emotional attachment to the old design.

In the following video, we look at four rebranding failures so that you can gracefully avoid these rebranding pitfalls.

After developing your brand identity, it’s time to translate it into marketing efforts, including digital, social media , and traditional marketing .

To effectively track your progress, use tools like Google Analytics and social media platforms to monitor how people interact with your brand. This helps you make adjustments and correct mistakes.

Here are a few examples of companies successfully translating their brand identity into marketing:

Burt’s Bees: A simplified logo reflecting a responsible and honest image

Burt’s Bees, known for creating all-natural and sustainable personal products, has a modern and simple logo that has evolved

The original logo featuring the bearded founder focused on simplicity and modesty, contrasting other beauty and personal care products. The logo was simplified as the brand’s public perception shifted towards responsibility and honesty.

Insight: Regularly simplify your logo as your brand image strengthens and evolves. Adapt your visual identity to match the evolution of your brand image. We did this at crowdspring multiple times.

Divine Chocolate: Showcasing its brand promise through luxurious fair trade chocolate packaging

Image courtesy of Divine Chocolate

Divine Chocolate, a UK-based chocolatier, is committed to creating delicious chocolate while ensuring fair trade practices.

The brand promise is communicated through its chocolate packaging design , which features a luxurious gold script logo and adrinka symbols derived from Ghanaian culture. Each symbol represents a virtue the brand values. The packaging design and marketing materials , inside and out, tells the story of Divine Chocolate’s mission and commitment to fair trade.

Insight: Prominently feature your logo and make thoughtful choices about the graphics to communicate your brand story. Ensure your packaging design reflects your brand promise and values.

Charlotte’s Web: Creating a positive brand perception in the CBD hemp oil industry through professional and consistent packaging design

Their packaging design uses bold yet trustworthy neutral colors and clean sans-serif typography to evoke a sense of sophistication and professionalism.

Charlotte’s Web has built a strong identity by modeling its design after traditional medicinal packaging and maintaining consistent branding throughout its products.

Insight: Visually align your packaging with your desired brand story and maintain consistent product branding. Ensure your packaging design communicates the right message to your target audience.

PoopBags.com: Using playful and eco-friendly packaging to highlight its brand personality and mission

Image courtesy of Packaging of the World

PoopBags.com is dedicated to creating biodegradable dog waste bags with a sense of humor. Their packaging design is light and playful, using bright colors and a gently rounded font for its logo. The raw cardboard color beneath the vibrant pastels reminds consumers of its commitment to eco-friendly materials.

PoopBags.com effectively communicates its brand personality and mission through its packaging design, making its products appealing and memorable.

Insight: Use colors , imagery, and fonts that reflect your brand’s personality, and share what drives your brand through packaging design. Consider incorporating your brand’s mission and values into your packaging design to create a strong connection with your customers.

When managing multiple brands , ensure each remains separate and distinct to avoid confusing customers and tarnishing your brand identity. Consistency and clarity across your different brands are crucial for creating a strong brand presence in the market.

A strong brand identity can mean the difference between your company succeeding beyond your wildest dreams or failing miserably.

By understanding your target audience, defining your brand’s core values and personality, and developing a cohesive visual language, you can create a memorable brand identity that resonates with your customers and supports your marketing efforts.

Remember to address common pain points and consider partnering with a professional design platform like crowdspring to ensure the best results.

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How to Create a Powerful Brand in 8 Simple Steps

Updated on: 10 January 2023

Building a brand cannot be done overnight. It may take days and even months, and you will have to continue to maintain and improve it till the end.

In this guide, we will discuss how to build a brand. We have also provided useful templates that you can use to facilitate different steps of the brand building process. Simplify click on them to edit and download.

What is a Brand?

First things first. Let’s start by defining what a brand is.

A brand is what helps distinguish your product or service from others in the market. Your band is usually identified through your company name, logo, colors, design, message and other features that help you be unique.

It is the image your customers associate your organization, product or service with, or how they perceive you. It helps your customer build an emotional relationship with you.

How to Build a Brand

We have simplified the brand building process by dividing it to 8 easy steps below. Follow them through to build a powerful brand for your business or your own personal brand.

Identify and Research Your Target Audience

When building your brand, it is important to know who you are reaching out to. Their needs, problems, challenges should be the focus of the product or service you offer as a solution.

Learning about your target audience will help you shape your brand effectively and keep your marketing efforts focused. For example, it can help you select a language style and tone that can appeal to them easily.

Gather both quantitative data such as the customer’s age, gender, occupation etc. and qualitative data like challenges, needs, lifestyle etc. A customer profile can help you document the needed information.

Conduct a Competitor Analysis

Understanding the market’s current situation is equally important.

Learn what your competitors are offering to their customers, their strengths and weaknesses, and how your customers perceive them. It will help you identify what you should do to differentiate yourself from the rest.

A couple of tools you can use here are the SWOT analysis and the perceptual map.

The SWOT analysis is ideal to gather your team together and identify the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, and the threats and opportunities they have created in the market for you.

And the perceptual map will allow you to understand how your average target customer perceives the products of your competitors.

Keep a competitor profile completed. You can refer to this when developing marketing strategies or doing a rebranding project.

Read our post on conducting a competitor analysis to learn about the steps you need to take and the tools you should use.

Define Your Brand Mission Statement

This is the reason why your brand exists. It should include the values your brand would offer the customer.

You mission should be reflected in your logo, tagline, marketing messages, and brand personality.

Develop Your Brand Identity

Your brand identity is how it appears to your customers. It is expressed through the logo, typography, colors, photography, iconography etc.

Logo: Creating the right logo takes time. You will have to iterate until you have created a logo  that embodies your mission statement, and highlights it even without the help of colors. And make sure that it can be scaled to work at all sizes.   

Colors: When you are selecting colors, pay attention to the emotions you want to trigger. Make sure that the color palette you select is clean and not overwhelming while at the same time complements your logo and brand identity.

Typography: When selecting a font you must take the shapes used in your logo into consideration. Refrain from using more that 3 types of fonts.

And when selecting other visual elements such as illustrations, symbols, and design systems, make sure that they help your brand stand out from the rest while reflecting your identity.

Using the brand identity prism, you can plan how to create a strong brand identity that embodies your core values. Refer to our resource Kapferer’s brand identity prism to learn how to use it.

Define Your Brand Personality

What sort of qualities your brand would have if it were a person?  

When establishing your brand personality, you need to define how you want your brand to communicate and behave. This will help you define your brand voice. Accordingly, assign your brand human personality traits.

You can use the brand personality spectrum here.

If most of the dots are towards the left side of the spectrum, you can consider yourself as an energetic and fast-moving brand.

If the dots are placed towards the right, you can consider yourself to be traditional, professional and more corporate.

Create a Catchy Tagline/ Slogan

A tagline should convey what you do using one short sentence. It often appears on business cards, flyers , websites, etc. and just like the logo, it should be memorable and reflect what your brand stands for.

Check out this resource to learn how to write an effective tagline for your business.  

Market Your Brand

Once you have accomplished building a strong brand, it’s time to bring it in front of the people. To effectively do this, you need a proper marketing strategy.

Integrate your brand into various aspects of your business that your customers interact with. This could include flyers , billboards, packaging, websites, emails, etc.

Incorporate the different elements of your brand when setting up digital marketing platforms such as social media accounts, ecommerce websites , blogs etc.

Stay Consistent Throughout

Be consistent with your brand voice and other visual elements throughout your communication with the audience.

Make sure that your employees are actively involved in promoting your brand as well. You can create brand guidelines and share them with all departments for reference and frequently discuss and remind them of the brand values.

Monitor how your brand and message is received by the customers. Take their feedback into consideration and make adjustments.  

Any Tips for Developing a Brand?

If you can meet and exceed what your brand promises to your customers, it will always be remembered. Focus on your customer needs, but also stay true to your brand values.

Have you got any other tips on building a brand? Do share them with us in the comment section below.

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21 Brand Style Guide Examples I Love (for Visual Inspiration)

Published: April 03, 2024

Developing a consistent brand starts with creating a brand style guide. These branding rule books help graphic designers, marketers, web developers, community managers, and even product packaging departments present a unified vision of the brand to the public.

The best brands stick in our brains because their presence is defined by the repetition of the same logo, fonts, colors, and images. Once we see them enough, they become instantly recognizable. All of this is possible when each member of your team adheres to a cohesive brand style guide.

So, what is a brand style guide? In this article, I'll go over the elements of a style guide and share some amazing examples of them in action to help inspire your next branding project or website redesign .

Table of Contents

What are brand guidelines?

The elements of a brand style guide.

• Brand Style Guide Examples

Branding Guidelines Tips

Brand guidelines, also known as a brand style guide, govern the composition, design, and general look-and-feel of a company's branding. Brand guidelines can dictate the content of a logo, blog, website, advertisement, and similar marketing collateral.

Picture the most recognizable brands you can think of.

Chances are, you've learned to recognize them due to one of the following reasons:

• There's a written or visual consistency across the messaging.
• The same brand colors are reflected across every asset.
• The language sounds familiar.
• It‘s all very organized and, while not rigid, it’s cohesive.

But before you sit down to create your branding guidelines, I'd recommend taking a step back and define your brand’s mission statement and buyer personas.

These strategic elements will help you dive into the tactical components of your brand style guide later.

Free Brand Style Guide Template

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• Build your brand
• Define your voice
• Set image guidelines

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Brand Guidelines Mission Statement

To me, your mission statement is the compass of your brand style guide. It‘s an action-oriented statement declaring your organization’s purpose.

This statement ensures that all your content is working toward the same goal and connecting with your audience. It can also guide your blog and paid content, ad copy , visual media, and slogan.

Here are some key elements that I believe make or break a brand style guide.

Your logo might seem like the simplest aspect of your branding guidelines, but in reality, I‘d argue it’s one of the most complex and most important parts.

In your guide, you should:

• Include a visual of your logo.
• Explain the design details of your logo.
• Describe how your logo can be used by external and internal publishers.

Typography is a visual element of your brand style guide that goes beyond the font you use in your company logo. It supports your brand’s design down to the links and copy on your website — even your tagline.

I recommend specifying a primary and secondary font, with a mixture of serifs and font weights for different use cases.

Remember, the goal of your branding guidelines is to empower your people and external stakeholders to create consistent but varied collateral on behalf of your brand. You don’t want to limit them with a single font option.

21. New York City Transit Authority

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