Branding your Startup
In today’s world, new companies do not have to pay thousands of dollars for TV advertisements or billboards to gain attention from an audience. Thanks to technology, the gap between consumers and a company is filled. The ability to produce content is not the issue, but rather companies are competing to gain attention from potential customers. This is why branding a company in a unique, captivating, and effective way is key. In addition to your own insights, looking at competition in a similar industry can be a big help. If you are unsure who your competition is, keep reading!
Consistent Branding
Simply put, people like what they can recognize. Inconsistency can confuse people and turn them away. A uniform feel between design, images, language, humor and a slogan should not be overlooked.
Design
Again, the design of a brand should be consistent. The same colors and hues are important to keep a sharp look. There should be a clear depiction of the company’s image and attitude. A website, social media, and campaign pages are most remembered when the design is clean cut and easy to identify.
Images
Profile and cover photos should be the same across all social media platforms. These images should be high quality, sleek, and professional. Keep in mind the varying sizes of the profile pictures and cover photos for different social media platforms. For example, a photo that is blurry, too small or large can make customers believe the company is not dedicated and does not pay attention to small details. Remember, images on social media and campaign pages reflect a company — a poor quality photo has the potential to misrepresent their values.
Language
Language should be consistent. This can be difficult when various people are creating social media content and emails, but having one clear voice to represent the company is crucial. A company’s tone should be on brand with the core values of a company. In addition, if you have a product targeted to millennials, it will help to stick to colloquial language that is easily relatable to the audience.
Humor
Humor is something that can be either effective or detrimental. This does not necessarily have to be consistent if it used to change up content, but the style should be the same as to not shock the audience. When using humor, it is important to note the age, gender and social demographic of your viewer. Keep in mind, a company’s original intention for humor may be interpreted differently by an outsider, so be conscious.
Slogan
A slogan is used as a memorable way to capture the attention of an audience. If a slogan constantly changes, the purpose of the slogan becomes ineffective. Remember the power of a hashtag, which we discussed last week? A slogan has an equal amount of power. Creating a hashtag for a slogan organizes the conversation into a single space. For example, Nike’s famous slogan “Just Do It” has over 8 million tags on Instagram. When a hashtag “trends” online, the slogan will gain momentum and followers will actively engage in the online conversation. In addition, a viewer’s association between the slogan and company can increase.
Branding in Preparation for a Launch
Launching a campaign or new product should be executed well to maximize attention.
Pre-Launch
To be effective and bring excitement to the campaign launch or product, we have seen that creating suspense or making announcements works well. Please note, you may not do this for TIII companies as you are not permitted to advertise before the start of a Title III campaign. Also, be sure that the official launch date signifies when a product is available or the campaign is live. In addition, strategically planning to update all content on the same day can help establish a company’s online identity.
Launch Day
Updating all communication to keep it fresh on launch day is key. This includes profile pictures, cover images and even hashtags.
After the release, it is important to keep the ball rolling with fresh news and information. Some of this includes creative use of a product, customer stories, or details about how it provides ROI for customers or investors. Feel free to change it up by sharing a funny video, industry event or interesting infographic of the need for the product. In addition, make it quick and easy for people to learn about your product with downloads, demos, or product videos.
Check StartEngine’s various social media platforms for an example: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Be sure to let us know your thoughts!
