When Should I Start Thinking About Branding?
I remember being 17 years old and watching my first Kickstarter campaign. I remember wanting to support a bunch of strangers on the internet because of a 3 minute video. Little did I know, what they were actually doing was selling me on their who and their why? By digging into their story, their process, and their aspirations, I had the chance to connect with them on a emotional level. That's what a strong brand does.
Kickstarter forced companies to look inwards and better tell their story without them even realizing it. It wasn't just about having an amazing product or idea, and it surely wasn't about having a high quality video. The businesses that won were able to evoke an emotional connection with their audience. Branding works in a similar way.
When I think about branding, I often think about it more than just being a logo. Branding is about creating a cohesiveness around every touchpoint someone has with your business. It could be your office space, your website, your newsletter, your colours, and even your typography. These micro decisions affect the overall perception of your brand. It is not just for customers either, but your employees and investors too.
Recently, I've been working with a lot of different startups in Toronto that all seem to have the same immediate goal, get funding. While these businesses are putting all their resources into building a product or service, they often forget about branding. Based on the startups I've been working with, to ensure funding is to take time to invest in branding. It will distinguish you from the competition, create recognition and most importantly, help represent your intention and promise to your customer, future employee or investor.
Branding should not be an afterthought. Get in front of your brand by doing the deep work of building it out properly. It's not something you will see an immediate ROI on but you set yourself up with the right foundation to make decisions for the business based on brand. After speaking with a number of founders, this is something that they have learned when doing their second, third, or even fourth business.
So, the answer of when should I start thinking about branding? The answer is now. It's a mindshift where you need to be thinking about it at all times through all touchpoints. Some of the companies that do this best are Nike and Apple.
If you have a business, or even thinking of starting one, and you have questions about branding, I'd love to chat and answer any questions you might have!
Matt