Branding is something that takes some time, practice, and experience.
Without it and you will not find it easy to create such a thing.
Then again, you can be the one in a kazillion that just has a thing for branding and you can come up with something solid without any effort.
Or you can follow what I am about to go over, so that you can come up with a brand that you can be happy with.
I have had the hardest time coming up with just one in the early days of my entrepreneur career but things have definitely changed.
Compared to before, I am now a huge fan of branding and I guess you can say it is somewhat a passion of mine.
It is not an easy task but with some time and experience, I think I can guide you in the right direction.
Let me show you how I personally go about picking a brand.
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How to Pick Your Brand
There is no specific template that you need to follow when branding as what might work for one person might not work for another.
There are so many things that needs to be considered before you put a stamp on your brand so I would like to show you exactly how I go about coming up with one.
But before you read any further, let me go over a couple of things that most people misunderstand.
The first thing is big named companies.
Sure they are successful and have solid brands but that is not how they started.
They were a no named brand just like every one else’s and that’s completely fine.
Branding starts with no attention but will become the actual brand later in its life.
The product and/or service associated with that brand will mold what it is and then people will get a better feel for what your name really stands for.
The next thing is, do not let big named brands dictate where or how you go about creating yours.
Companies like Apple and Pepsi have decades of building and they aren’t brands you should compare to.
Use them for a little guidance and inspiration but that’s about it.
Your brand will be nothing now but with some time and lots of lovin’, it will grow and evolve into what it will become.
Now let me give you some pointers on how I go about coming up with a brand.
Focus on You
Anyone who starts a business will do this.
They look at others and try to create something off of what that person has.
Don’t do that.
Go over different brands and get ideas but DO NOT copy anything they have.
Sure it might sound like that should be your brand because it speaks to you like some angel from up above but don’t even think about it.
If for some reason you are in the same niche as that person, so be it.
Compete but be different.
If someone has the brand “better business”, using “the better business” is not going to help.
That will not only make you look like a copy cat but it will confuse people and probably get more traffic to the person who owns that brand.
Think Outside the Box
Along with not copying, you need to really let your creative juices flow.
Don’t even think about other brands but rather come up with something unique.
There are millions of ideas that can be used, so don’t let tunnel vision take over.
Just because you are selling bikes does not mean you need to have the word bike in your name.
Think of something different and let that name scream what it really is.
When you think of Pepsi, you think of sodas.
When you think of Apple, you think of smartphones and computers.
I’m not saying you should pick a fruit for your new backpack store but understand that your name will speak for itself.
If you are able to think outside the box.
Get Personal
Not everyone can become the next billion dollar business and that’s okay.
There are millions of successful entrepreneurs that use their names as their brand and it works great.
Names work just as good as any other brand but that does not mean you need to use them.
What you can do is take what you do, who you are, or anything related to something that is you.
Take my site for example.
Brokeveteran.com.
This is as simple as it gets but it is exactly what I was before I found a real way to make money online.
Being broke is not the best sounding thing either but it works.
People don’t look at me as a broke person but rather someone who makes their living online and helps others do the same.
You can do the same as well and again, your brand does not need to match what you are selling.
If you were a teacher and you are now making money with affiliate marketing, you can still use your old profession to create your new brand.
Love Your Final Decision
When creating a brand, you don’t want to settle for mediocre.
Keep digging until you find something that you are actually proud of.
Too many people go with a name just to have something and that is find.
However, it shouldn’t stop you from looking for something better.
Heck, you will probably come up with a better brand as you grow and see who or what you really stand for.
I would use that as a tip but I’m more for coming up with something now and letting it grow into the brand it will soon become.
Don’t Let Your Logo Define You…Just Yet
Branding and logos are two completely different things.
Your brand is who you are and what you stand for.
Your logo is going to represent your brand.
The thing about logos is that they are fricken hard to get right.
Most of us aren’t the artistic type and we can’t use a computer program to save our life.
Good thing there are awesome logo creating sites that do a great job.
I use sites like Canva for my logo needs and they work perfectly fine for me.
The idea of this point is not to have you become the next best designer but to hammer down the fact that your logo can and will most likely change.
Pick a solid name but don’t let your logo define you just yet.
You will come up with something later and then you can have that logo that speaks your brand to others.
Pick Your Brand Wisely and Be Original
In my early days as a blogger, I could not come up with a name for crap.
I did the complete opposite of what I went over here and it led me to some of the worst names you can possibly think of.
That’s how most of you will start off as but with some time and experience, you will soon realize that you are actually more creative than you think.
Just like everything else in life, a little patience and learning will take you a long way.
Apply some of the tips I have provided and I can promise you that you will come up with a brand that you are actually proud of.
This is what works for me and I hope it can do the same for you.