Founding a successful startup company is almost every entrepreneur’s dream. Unfortunately, building a business involves several steps beyond having an innovative idea. As you create a business plan and strategy for your company, don’t forget about the importance of branding. Many companies suffer from using the same website and logo for years and years. Instead, try these branding trends adopted by other successful startups:
- Storytelling
Instead of having the About page on your website describe what your business does include a real story. Use this page to discuss why the company was founded, what inspired the idea behind it, and what the future holds for customers. Telling an interesting story will help customers remember your business and your brand.
“Brand storytelling is the combination of the information you share with target audience members, along with what they believe about you from what they’ve read from online reviews and other sources. Stories are what humans are taught to understand. Therefore, they do far more for branding than standard websites packed with information overload.”
- Minimalism
As intricate designs became more popular, it also became easier for companies to drown each other out with their loudness. Try a minimalist design to contradict and stand out against the white noise of over-the-top branding.
“Brands can follow the big retailers, or startups like Lovely Candy Company, who used Phase1’s simple package designs to spark a brand that is now recognized on a national level. Forget about complicated designs and markups. When branding a product, keep it simple, think about your overall brand image and pull it all together. Going into the next year, minimalist design is key.”
- Act Small
Consumers love small businesses because they want to feel like they’re buying from their neighbors instead of a large corporation. Even large companies can act on this love of small businesses such as Walmart. Walmart promotes local businesses and sells local products.
“Customers want to feel connected to the brands they interact with. They want to feel as though they’re giving back and supporting something other than “big brand America.” Jet, an online retailer set to become a competitor of Amazon, is harnessing this power by retailing big name products with a local flare. Acting small, even if you’re not, is a branding trend to get on board with today.”
- Get in the Conversation
Use social media to get the word out about your company. With hashtags, tagging, mentions, likes and favorites, your startup can join the conversation and become a topic of conversation to spread brand awareness.
“The more involved you appear, the more solid your branding will become. Seamless, an online delivery service for restaurants in specific locales, is one brand to watch. Their customer service through social channels is nearly flawless. Because of this, the startup has grown into a household name in the past year.”
If you have any questions about these brand strategies or how to launch your startup, feel free to contact us. The Riverside Center for Innovation has tons of resources for entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh!
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