Your Brand Toolkit

​Branding is arguably the most important piece of your business. It allows you to create recognition with your target audience, builds trust with your community, and ultimately, increases your sales. We have so many small businesses that come to us and they don't have the basic branding tools in place. Before we get into our branding must haves, let’s go over what exactly branding is.

In short, branding is your identity. It tells the story of who you are and why you do it. Most importantly, it is the secret sauce that sets you apart from your competitors. When people think of branding, they often think of visual identity - logos, colors, fonts. This is a great place to start, but is only one part of the puzzle. Branding also encompasses your values, your voice, and your story. 

When we start with a new client, here are the top 5 things we want to iron out before diving into any marketing or public relations efforts:

• Vectorized Logo - if your logo was created in Paint or Microsoft Word, it's time for an upgrade. There are many file types out there, but the one we always recommend having is a vector file; EPS and SVG are our favorites. Vector files store images using formulas rather than pixels, allowing them to be scaled indefinitely without distorting. While you may not have the design software needed to use these files, you will want them in your arsenal. Our second favorite file is always a transparent PNG. This is the one that most small businesses will be able to use on their own! It will allow you to overlay your logo on materials without the dreaded white square behind it.
• Consistent Color Palette - all too often, we see folks using a myriad of colors in their marketing. The strongest brands have a very limited palette that they work within. This creates instand recognition with their audience. Think about some famous brands - Costco, Dunkin’, and Poland Spring - and what colors you associate with them. 
  • Costco: red & blue
  • Dunkin’: orange and hot pink
  • Poland Spring: green

Each of these brands have 1-2 very specific colors that they are using. Narrowing down your colors will help make your brand stand out and be more professional. 

• Standardized Messaging - this category is a little broad because it can encapsulate so much. In addition to a formalized tagline and mission statement, you want to formulate copy points that can be shared about who you are and what you do. Here’s a quick way to think about it:
  • Tagline - a one-line summary of what you do
  • Mission statement - adds why you do what you do
  • Boiler plate - a more robust version of your mission statement. Think of this as your elevator pitch. You have 30 seconds to 1 minute to sum up your business. 
  • Copy points - if you have more than a minute to share about your business, what are the things you can add on. 
• UPS - or “Unique Sales Propositions”. These are the top things that set you apart from your competitors. Do you have awards in your field? Is there a story behind how you started? What do you offer that is above and beyond the norm? These should be identified early and used in your messaging.
• Core Values - these are the beliefs that drive your actions and decisions, helping to build your brand personality. With the state of the world constantly being unraveled, more and more often we are finding consumers supporting brands whose values align with their own. Establishing your values will help you craft your messaging, reach your target audience, and coodinate everything from your service or offerings to outside opportunities.

While this list may seem like a lot, it is critical to lay a solid foundation for your business to grow upon. We always say, think of your business like a party. You wouldn’t invite people over without cleaning your house first! Marketing and Public Relations are the same. You don’t want to invite potental customers or the media in without getting your branding ducks in a row first. Good news is that we are here to help! Reach out to us about our brand services today.