5 Critical Steps to do Before You Launch Your Business

Sep 25, 2023

Branding – the foundation to every great business, so diverse, so misunderstood. What is branding? Why should you create a brand? What should be included in your brand? We’re going to answer those questions in the form of a nice list down below so you can get it going!

1. Get Yourself a Logo

Before you launch your business, it’s important to have something people can visually remember it by and that’s only a small part of branding. People typically start with a logo and rightfully so. It’s the iconic symbol people will remember, kind of like the famous Coca Cola typography, the Golden Arches for McDonalds, the smile in Amazon’s logo or even..don’t say, don’t say it..everyone says it..the Nike swoosh logo, there we said it! Because it’s a great icon that virtually everyone on this entire planet knows. If Star Wars was a real life living thing, their capes would probably be Nike, okay maybe not, but it’s not far off. Nike is the king of all clothing brands when it comes to being recognizable. The logo is the foundation in which your business will stand on. Without a solid foundation, you will run into problems down the road.

2. Define a Brand Guideline

A brand guideline is something that your designer or agency you hired should give you. This is something we include with every logo and brand design that we do for our clients. If your agency doesn’t give you one, you may want to ask, because this is kind of like an ingredients list for a recipe; without it, you might get an ill tasting meal. The brand guideline will unify a concrete look and feel that people will remember. Here’s what’s usually included:

  • Font Sizes and Styles
  • Logo Usage’s
  • Color Palette
  • Alternate Logo Types, Icons, and Colors

Ethical initiatives are the key to their heart

Similar to Millennials, Gen Zers highly value brands that showcase ethical responsibility. Generation Z is acutely aware of environmental, political, and socio-economic problems that societies face today; your business shouldn’t be any different. A Gen Zer will quickly see through any inauthentic façade and owning a business with the sole purpose of making money just won’t cut it. If you haven’t already, ask yourself how your business serves a greater purpose in your local community. If the answer is “I don’t know,” start by figuring out your own personal values and go from there.

3. Put Your Personality Into It

A brand doesn’t stop at the logo or brand guideline, those are just the start. Now-a-days people tend to build more trust with owners and founders who are more involved with the company. If you’re a personal brand, this will be easy. If you’re the owner of a big corporation it may be a little more difficult, but still doable.

Aside from including yourself in the brand, your voice is a major part of the brand. From things like copywriting, photography, video production, and even how you write your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram captions. All of these things make up your brand’s personality and it’s important to define that, because depending on how you decide to communicate, it will determine if you attract the demographic you’re after.

4. Start Raking In the Referrals and Fans

Going back to voice and personality, these are the things that attract the customers you want. That includes word of mouth. Maybe someone thought your logo looked awesome or the colors were exactly what they resonated with. Or maybe they liked how you spoke, how you wrote your status update, or designed your graphics. Again, all of these elements matter for these reasons and many more.

5. Start Your Website or Landing Page

Once you get all of those things figured out, it’s time to start your website and/or landing page. You can’t create a brand without a place to send people. All of those new customers and fans need a place to support you and more importantly for you, the business owner, a place you can convert those new people. There are many ways in which you can create a website including:

  • Wix
  • Weebly
  • Square Space
  • Shopify
  • Get ready…Us! Yeah, that’s right, Bahlr Media

Now that you’ve got some things to consider doing to start your business, you can really get it going. And remember, if you need help with any of those items above, we can help you. After all, we’ve helped dozens of people just like you start their business.

Read Also