Covid-19 has caught us all by surprise. And even though we are more than a year into this awful pandemic, things have still not gotten back to normal. Fortunately, all sectors are working together to find the right way to conquer this challenging period. It’s been a hard time, and many businesses have been negatively impacted.
But even though the pandemic has created enormous challenges for businesses all over the world, some entrepreneurs decided that this was the perfect time for them to start a new venture. But what do you do when you want to up your business game or even create a new brand during turbulent times? This is what we are going to see in this article, so keep reading.
Table of Contents
How Were Brands Built Before the Pandemic?
In the beginning, before the Covid-19 pandemic, things were pretty straightforward when it came to developing a new brand. You had to have a few things checked on your list:
- Knowing your business and/or products (and why you exist or want to be on the market)
- Doing your research on your competitors and determining who your customers are
- Establishing your brand mission, values and outlining the main benefits of your brand
- Determining your brand voice and personality
- Building your brand’s story and developing your brand logo and design
- Integrating your brand in every aspect of your business and staying true to your brand
Once you had all these things figured out, things were pretty simple. But building your brand is more than just following a few simple steps, it is more personal than you might think and your brand will have to eventually speak for itself.
Image: Coca-Cola’s logo on a bottle. Source
If we think about big brands like Coca-Cola or Nike, we identify them with certain feelings, and these feelings are exactly what creates trust in a brand. If people associate your brand with a memory, a smell, a feeling they had, you have gained their trust and you know they will be back.
So having a successful business is not only about building a good brand, it’s also about creating a lasting impact on your customers.
How Do You Create a Lasting Impression?
Although it’s a tad more complicated, having a lasting impact on the world usually boils down to a few things. And the most important thing is your visual identity. Your logo, your overall design, and the way you present yourself to the world, as a brand, are the things that create this lasting impact we all crave.
Of course, there’s more to it than that. You can’t just have a wonderful logo and be dismissive of your customers’ needs or wishes. But, more often than not, your visual identity is what makes people remember you.
So, when you decide to create your brand, make sure that you come up with a great visual identity. Your logo is the most important. Think about the big brands – what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s their logo, without a doubt!
Image: Apple’s logo on the MacBook. Source
Things are not any different now either. It’s actually more important now to have a striking visual identity, since most businesses have to be more active online.
Social media is your go-to solution to your online presence and it’s very important to keep all communication channels open, so your customers can easily reach you. This was true even before the pandemic, but digital marketing has boomed during the past year and it’s all thanks to Covid.
And it goes without saying that if you have products you need to sell, the best way to do it now is through e-commerce. Your online store is your biggest asset, make sure you have it all sorted out and going smoothly.
This aspect of your business also needs a good branding strategy, so make sure you put it together with a team that knows what they are doing. This will ensure your success in the digital world, but also in the real world, as it will contribute to your brand’s trust level.
To sum up, here’s a list of the boxes you need to check in order to make sure your brand has a lasting impact on your customers:
- Engage with your customers on a regular basis
- Invest in your online presence
- Educate your customers and your target audience
- Share the story of your brand every chance you get
- Make use of user-friendly technology, so anyone can understand it
- Offer something unique and personal
How to Develop A Strong Brand during a Pandemic?
There are many stories out there about how people took risks and started successful businesses during the pandemic, and they share valuable lessons for anyone looking to build a new brand during these uncertain times.
We have already spoken about this – brand trust. This is what matters the most, whether you’re an online business or you have a physical space. There is nothing more important than building trust in your brand. And how do you do it? You show up 100% of the time, you own up to your mistakes and you tell your story! People respond to emotion, so make sure you infuse your visual identity with it too!
It is more important now than ever to really know your industry. Before you venture into a new business, make sure you conduct thorough research. It is very important that you know all the nooks and crannies of all the aspects involved in the industry you want to enter. Half measures never helped anybody, so make sure you gather all the information available before making a decision.
Image: Digital Marketing Map. Source
Maybe one of the most important aspects of building a brand during a pandemic is to explore new digital marketing strategies. Our whole lives have changed due to Covid-19 and we had to adapt to this new way of life. Exploring and adopting the right digital marketing strategy is vital for the success of your business and you should take advantage of all the solutions available online now.
To sum it all up, you need to know that creating a strong brand during the pandemic is not as hard as you might think. Of course, you need to adapt to the times and make the necessary tweaks where needed, but mostly it all comes down to:
- Determining the concept behind your brand – decide what your story is and who it is for
- Creating the ideal customer persona – do your research and find out who your target customers are
- Defining yourself, as a person – it’s important to have a personal brand behind the business brand as well
- Defining your product – what it is, who it is for, and what value it brings
- Growing your community – it’s important to learn how and what to communicate so you can build a strong community
- Defining communication – it’s important to have a brand voice and to use it wisely.
As you can see, things are pretty straightforward when it comes to building a new brand, but eventually, it is also important to define who you are as a person who wants to build this brand.
As long as you keep true to yourself, you give 100% and you put your customers first, you will be able to succeed, regardless of the struggles humanity goes through. People will always need something to put their trust in, make sure you are it.
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- A Look at How Brands Are Created During a Pandemic - April 25, 2021
