As of 2023, there were nearly 359 million companies in the world.1 That’s 359 million organizations fighting for the attention—and the wallets—of consumers around the globe.
How can your business stand out from the crowd? With strong branding. A well-built brand identity can help you connect with customers, guide your decisions, and bring you long-term success.
Whether you’re launching a business or looking to reinvent your current company, this branding guide—complete with brand identity examples and practical tips—will help you rise to the top.
What is a brand and why does it matter?
As a company, your brand is everything. It’s your identity as a business. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors. It’s your customers’ first impression—and the last thing they remember.
Many people think of “branding” as the way a company looks. But brand identity goes far beyond your brand colors and logo. Your brand is your story, your philosophy, and your guiding light, as much as it is your image.
When you have a strong brand, the possibilities are endless. You can enjoy instant recognition from consumers. You can gain an edge in the market. You can even rely on the strength of your name to launch a brand extension that boosts your income. (Brand extension examples include the computer enterprise Apple making headphones or the music company Yamaha producing motorcycles.)
Let’s take a look at 10 key strategies for building the strong brand you desire.
Strategy one: Define your brand’s mission, vision, and values
Before you can present your brand to the world, you need to understand it yourself. That’s why your first order of business is to define three things:
- Your mission – A brand mission statement explains your company’s purpose. For example, LinkedIn’s mission is to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”2
- Your vision – A vision statement is bigger and more forward-thinking than a brand statement. Rather than telling your audience what you’re doing now, it describes your ultimate goal. Here’s some inspiration: IKEA’s vision is “To create a better everyday life for the many people.”3
- Your values – Core values let your customers know what you stand for. Considering that 82% of shoppers want to buy from companies with similar morals, it’s worth thinking about your brand’s beliefs.4 For an idea of strong values, look at Ben & Jerry’s—they preach “Human Rights & Dignity,” “Social & Economic Justice,” and “Environmental Protection, Restoration, & Regeneration.”5
While you may be tempted to skip this strategy, don’t. The biggest corporations use these details to inform every decision. Study any brand guidelines examples, and you’ll find the company’s mission, vision, and values front and center.
Strategy two: Craft a memorable brand identity with Name.com domains
Your domain name is a vital part of your brand identity. It shows up in Google searches, on business cards, and in your social media bio. With that in mind, it’s worth choosing a domain that solidifies your identity.
While you could settle for yourbusinessname.com, this URL doesn’t tell shoppers anything about your brand.
For a stronger impact, consider using a custom top-level domain (TLD) that complements your brand name and immediately explains what you do. For example, the self-driving startup Aurora has claimed the domain aurora.tech. Without even visiting the website, customers know they’re dealing with a tech company.
With Name.com, you can choose from popular TLDs like .com, .net, and .org, as well as hundreds of alternate options, including:
This gives you the flexibility to find the perfect domain for your specific needs.
Strategy three: Build a consistent brand voice across channels
Businesses communicate with customers through various channels, from Facebook and TikTok to emails and ads. If you want your brand to seem professional, you should have a consistent voice across all of them.
To discover your unique voice, determine your brand’s personality. Do you want to come across as a serious, seasoned expert? An enthusiastic friend? A helpful neighbor?
From there, create a brand voice guide. This document will ensure you and your employees use the same tone across platforms. Use companies like Duolingo for inspiration; their voice guidelines clearly explain how to sound across all channels.6
Strategy four: Develop a unique value proposition that sets your brand apart
For your brand to succeed, you need something that none of your competitors have. In the industry, this differentiator is known as a unique value proposition (UVP).
UVPs highlight the value of your product or service, explaining in a few words why your company is the best option for your customers’ needs.
Some UVPs from well-known brands include:
- Zoom – One platform for limitless human connection.
- DoorDash – Everything you crave, delivered.
- Uber – Go anywhere with Uber.
Strategy five: Create a brand story that resonates with your audience
One brand strategy that many entrepreneurs overlook is storytelling. Humans are drawn to stories—it’s in our nature. When you create a narrative that resonates with your target audience, you invite them into your world, encouraging them to trust you.
Some of the largest brands in the world lean on stories to support their image. Apple’s “We started in a garage” narrative shows that big ideas can start small, while the McDonald’s origin story was compelling enough to be made into a movie.
As you develop your brand, think about how you want to tell your story.
Strategy six: Leverage social media to strengthen your brand
Social media is one of the best tools for reinforcing your brand image. With visual platforms like TikTok and Instagram, you can show off your brand’s color palette and style guide. Meanwhile, apps like X are perfect for showcasing your brand’s personality—something companies like Wendy’s and Ryanair learned long ago.
If you want to strengthen your brand through social media, here are some tips:
- Cater to your target audience.
- Post consistently—at least once a day.
- Respond to comments.
- Optimize your content for different platforms.
- Pay for social media ads.
Of course, social media is also a tool for brand reputation management. It’s a place to communicate with customers, see how people view you, and address any problems. Brand reputation is an important part of branding, so don’t forget about this side of social media.
Strategy seven: Build a strong online presence with a custom website
While your customers might discover you on social media, they’ll likely complete their purchase through your website (or visit your website to learn more about your brand). This means you need a site that’s attractive, intuitive, fast, and secure.
With a powerful website builder like Wix, you can create a site that meets all of these criteria. Wix also makes it easy to publish a stunning website in minutes—even if you have no web design experience. And, since Wix is available through Name.com, you can easily link your descriptive domain to your site and manage both assets through the Name.com platform.
As you build your website, keep your brand guidelines in mind. Your brand voice should shine through in every header and paragraph, and your brand story should be apparent on every page.
Strategy eight: Use customer feedback to shape your brand experience
When you’re brand building, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision and ignore the outside world. But there’s someone whose opinions you should always consider: the customer.
Since your customers are buying from you, it’s in your best interest to listen to them. If shoppers say your return process is too complicated, you may want to simplify it. If users don’t like a certain feature, it could be time for a product update.
How do you find out what customers are thinking? You ask.
Netflix offers a perfect example. The streaming service has users rate shows so it can better recommend content. Netflix also sends out surveys to learn more about their customers’ preferences.
Strategy nine: Collaborate with influencers to expand brand reach
These days, 89% of brands have a dedicated budget for influencer marketing.7 And there’s a reason: Influencer marketing is a shortcut to reaching engaged audiences.
That’s because influencers have already built trust with their followers. If they recommend a product or service, that captive audience is more likely to buy it.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to collaborate with high-profile influencers to see success. Many brands, including Airbnb and ASOS, have partnered with micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) to reach more customers—and you can, too.
Strategy ten: Measure brand success and adapt for growth
Brand identity design is never finished; it’s an evolving process that grows with your business. But you should never make changes without first seeing where you stand.
Analytics can help. The social media apps, website solutions, and marketing tools you use all have valuable information on your brand’s performance. Some brand-related metrics to look at include:
- Social media likes, comments, and mentions.
- Web traffic.
- Click-through rate (CTR).
- Conversion rate.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Once you understand where you’re succeeding—and where you’re not—you can adjust your brand strategy and identity as needed. This data-driven approach can help you grow in the long term.
Build your brand empire with Name.com
With the right strategies, you can transform your budding brand into a powerhouse that will outperform your competitors—all 359 million of them.
However, if you want to execute these strategies, you need the right tools. For that, turn to Name.com.
Name.com offers best-in-class products for strategic brand development. Find your ideal domain with our domain search tool, create a stunning website with our website solutions, and project your brand voice with our professional email solutions.
Sources:
Statista. Estimated number of companies worldwide from 2000 to 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1260686/global-companies/
LinkedIn. About LinkedIn. https://about.linkedin.com/
IKEA. The IKEA vision and values. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/this-is-ikea/about-us/the-ikea-vision-and-values-pub9aa779d0
Consumer Goods Technology. New Research Shows Consumers More Interested in Brands’ Values than Ever. https://consumergoods.com/new-research-shows-consumers-more-interested-brands-values-ever
Ben & Jerry’s. Our Values, Activism and Mission. https://www.benjerry.com/values
Duolingo. Writing: voice. https://design.duolingo.com/writing/voice#voice-qualities
Influencer Marketing Hub. 35 Influencer Marketing Statistics Shaping 2024. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/
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