step-by-step guide to creating a strong and memorable brand

Without distinct features that resonate with your audience, your company will struggle to be recognized. Developing a brand is a complex and lengthy process that requires significant resources. A strong brand helps you stand out among competitors, capture attention, gain customer loyalty, and, ultimately, boost product sales.

This article outlines the step-by-step process of building a strong brand to stay ahead in a competitive market.

How to make your brand recognizable?

A brand is the image of a company that forms in the consumer's mind when it is mentioned. It shapes their perception and engages their senses. Before diving into brand development, you must explore your company through research on the product, market, competitors, and audience. Let’s break down each step.

Step 1. Product analysis

Start by understanding the company’s product to evaluate its potential from the consumer’s perspective.

— Identify features. Highlight the product’s unique characteristics that differentiate it from competitors.

— Develop a USP. Define the product’s advantages and benefits for consumers. Answer the question: «How does our product or service solve the target audience's problem and deliver value to them?».

Step 2. Market research

Understanding the market helps assess how trends and dynamics affect the company’s current position.

— Analyze industry trends. Identify market factors that impact the company and could alter its trajectory.

— Study external influences. Look at broader conditions that positively or negatively affect the business.

— Conduct interviews. Collect audience insights about their experience with the market.

Step 3. Competitor analysis

Consumers make daily purchasing decisions based on their perception of brands. To avoid blending into the market, it’s vital to stand out.

— Evaluate positioning. Study how competitors position themselves in the market.

— Deconstruct competitor images. Identify connections between their messaging, values, and product.

— Determine advantages. Use a competitive analysis matrix to compare key product features and uncover your strengths.

Step 4. Audience analysis

Understanding your target audience is essential since they will engage with your product.

— Segment your audience. Group customers with similar demographic and psychographic profiles.

— Conduct psychographic analysis. Characterize their lifestyle, interests, behaviors, and motivations.

— Create a CJM. Map the customer journey, identifying motivations and barriers to choosing your product.

A thorough research phase lays the foundation for further branding steps, including verbal and visual identity.

Step 5. Brand platform development

A brand platform is the foundation of your marketing and communication strategy. It defines what the brand represents and conveys to the audience.

— Select an archetype. Define the brand’s character and communication style, attributing it to a specific archetype.

— Highlight benefits. List the advantages your brand offers consumers.

— Establish positioning. Determine how the brand is perceived in the audience’s mind.

— Define mission and values. Articulate the core principles and meanings that underpin all brand communications.

— Segment the audience. Identify the key groups your brand will grow and develop for.

For more details on creating a brand platform, see our article: «The Brand platform: the foundation of love and loyalty to a brand».

Step 6. Verbal identity

A successful branding strategy involves crafting the brand’s verbal communication through slogans and tone of voice.

— Develop a name. Create a memorable brand name that reflects its values and character.

— Define ToV. stablish a distinctive communication style with your audience.

— Create editorial guidelines. Set standards for the brand’s tone and messaging.

Step 7. Visual identity

A brand’s appearance goes beyond a simple logo—it is a cohesive visual system that the audience can instantly recognize.

— Develop a metaphor. Translate the brand’s abstract attributes into a tangible image.

— Choose a color palette. Reflect the brand’s character and emotions through color.

— Define photo style. Showcase how the brand perceives the world.

— Create typography. Develop a unique style that embodies the brand’s character.

— Design visual elements. Establish the brand’s visual codes, including the logo, graphic elements, and icons.

Step 8. Brand book

A brand’s ecosystem requires clear guidelines to maintain a consistent image. A brand book serves as the main document containing principles for implementing the brand across all business processes.

— Define the ideological core. Describe the company’s character and emotional essence.

— Establish the image. Document the design and communication guidelines for engaging with the audience.

These steps will only be effective if approached holistically, continuously evolving the company and its communication with the audience. For best results, consider hiring an agency to handle branding, as the process is complex and challenging to manage alone.

A recognizable brand isn’t just about awareness—it’s about trust. Build an emotional connection with your audience to create long-term, positive relationships.