Creating a unique brand is all about, first and foremost, building an identity. You’ll have your in-person identity, of course. But what about your online identity? This is more abstract, but your online identity is about the content you share, the colors you use, the organization and graphics you have, and the meaning you’re trying to create (visually and through words).
The more authentic you are to you, the stronger your brand will be.
A solid brand focuses on consistency. Regardless of what you’re sharing, the means of sharing, or the vertical you’re sharing on, you want everything to be ‘you.’ Consider what tone you want (professional, creative, fun, serious, etc.). You’ll also want to think about whether you’re going to share things from your personal, straight advertisements, testimonials (if you’re a service-based business), content from your clients/customers, or a combination.
In the end, though, your brand is a celebration of you. You’ll want everything to showcase your personality, what you value, and of course, what makes you unique.
Here are 8 tips to help you figure out what makes you stand out (regardless of your industry):
1. Start with a concept list.
What things mean the most to you (professionally and personally)? What do you value? What do you want others to know about you/your business? If you value relationships, for example, then perhaps you’ll want to focus your branding energy on connections and camaraderie with others. Or if you’re someone who sells products, how can you share your authenticity in every sales description and pitch?
Start writing down ideas to help narrow down and focus your branding efforts for the best target audience.
2. Think about what colors feel right.
This may sound silly, but what ‘feels right’ is all about intuition. Think about what makes you unique and what you care about. Try to incorporate those feelings and colors into your design. You’ll have a main color, of course, but others will supplement.
Pro Tip: Think about how colors will look together to help you decide what’s visually appealing.
3. Create a strong, yet simple logo.
Your logo is everything. Although you may be tempted to have it look a certain way, be flexible, open, and consider what it will look like in terms of busyness or on different screens (and make sure it’s high-resolution, too!). Also consider what your customers/clients might desire.
Pro Tip: Think about how your colors can be incorporated in the logo and how it will look if it’s ever printed in black and white, too!
4. Get professional headshots.
Branding isn’t just about layouts and design; it’s about you. (In all forms!) That’s why it’s important to have a good headshot. This will make you look professional and also add to the cohesion between branding ideas and your physical self.
5. Really hone in on your individual voice.
As a writing coach and editor, I’m all about the voice. Everyone has their own way of speaking and it’s vital to implement this. Creating a unique brand comes from focusing on that voice and using it to attract the right people to your pages.
Pro Tip: Stay consistent! Having a uniform voice throughout your pages and marketing efforts will increase reliability and trust.
6. Consider the audience.
Thinking about the audience (at least a little) is a great tool, regardless of your profession. Whether you’re creating a brand for fun or for a career, thinking about who you want to attract—your target audience—is essential to growing and making something meaningful. What would this audience care about? Like to see? Engage with?
Don’t build a brand fully around your audience because you do want to stay true to you, but don’t be afraid to keep them in mind, either.
7. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.
When it comes to creating a unique brand, you have to stop stressing over where you compare. Focus on yourself. Whatever makes you stand out is what you need to showcase. It doesn’t matter if someone is ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than you. What matters is that you’re working, every day, to make something meaningful and valuable to you—after all, that’s what will draw people to you.
Featured Image Credit: Ellyot
