The Four Step Branding Process: Step 1 - Why you need a brand workshop

Branding and corporate identity are vital marketing components for all organisations and there is much more to it than just creating a striking logo, albeit that’s a vital component. Branding relates to the corporate personality, or DNA which runs through all aspects of the business.

One of the challenges when starting out with a new business, or when planning a refresh of a brand that has moved on from its beginnings, is where to start. What are the benefits of developing your brand? And how do you go about identifying the DNA and personality, and creating a look, approach, style, colours and marketing messaging?

The benefits of having a consistent and vibrant brand which truly reflects your business can’t be underestimated:

• You will differentiate your business, and become more visible in the market place: This will help attract sales enquiries and strengthen sales conversion.
• All your marketing material will be consistent, which is the mark of a professional outfit.
• You’ll be remembered: Many customers might not be ready to buy immediately, so it’s vital they remember you when the time comes for them to make that purchasing decision.
• You will build trust: This will give you an advantage when your competitors don’t project themselves as consistently and as professionally as you do.
• You will attract profitable business: Think of the extra you are prepared to pay for a brand you trust.
• It helps you employ the right people: Quality people have high standards.
• It means you attract the right customers: Those looking for a cheap deal are less likely to waste your time.
• It will inform and guide people’s behaviour – staff, customers, suppliers etc.: Customers behave more respectfully when they love a brand.
• You’ll create something desirable (e.g. for business sale).
• It’s easier to attract media interest when your brand is known and trusted.
• Everyone who communicates about your brand can do so in a consistent way.
• You have a greater sense of pride and confidence in your business.

So, it’s clearly profitable – now how do you go about it? The process of creating a new brand which is clear, unique and reflects your business personality authentically, can seem very daunting – which is why you need to follow the four-step branding process to guide you through it.

The four steps to developing professional branding, start with step one – have professionals run a brand workshop with you.

Whether you are creating a new brand or refreshing an existing one, taking part in a brand workshop will help to develop a clear, consistent image for you and the rest of your team, which you can then build on to develop guideline and marketing materials.

A brand workshop is generally held across either a whole day or half a day and the aim is to get your key staff members together, with some independent creative input, to tease out the DNA of your brand.

This approach has been proven to help develop a compelling brand identity and clear, consistent messaging, and has transformed hundreds of organisations, not only in how they convey themselves to the outside world but in how they operate.

The workshop will enable you to be creative, explore ideas, and think deeply about messaging and wording with a view to identifying the core areas which are important to the business visually and from an authenticity perspective.

The outcome of the workshop will be identified brand promises, and the DNA needed to create the new brand identity and personality in the next step on the branding journey.

Once the workshop has been held, the business will be ready to move to the second step in the branding process – which is creating the Brand Manual. At this stage – which will be the subject of our next blog in more detail – the business will use all the information gathered in step 1, to create a strapline, brand values, company mission and the brand promises.

If you would like to speak to our branding experts or book a brand workshop for your business then please do give us a call or send us an emailabout your requirements today.

(NB: As well as getting your marketing right it’s important to stress you need a strong HR approach to ensure your organisation consistently demonstrates brand behaviours, so ask your HR team about your employer brand too.)