Building a brand from scratch: what early stage entrepreneurs need to know

Building a Brandfrom ScratchWhat early stage entrepreneurs need to know

Tuesday, February 19, 13

Hi,

I’m Colin Nagy.

Twitter: @CJN





I’m passionateabout small companies, entrepreneurs and building interesting businesses.


Building a brand from scratch. Not just a product or feature,


but a living, breathing brand.


In a perfect world

a startup has:


1. Someone who understands how to build technologies and systems to solve problems;


2. Someone who understands the human factors behind these problems, why they exist and how to shape the experience.


3. Someone who understands how to reach, talk to and sell to people and keep finding more of them.




An observation: in the early stages of a startup

80% focus on the product.


An observation: in the early stages of a startup

20% focus on the marketing, brand, etc.


This is a recipe for

danger.


Sometimes you just focus on

the hard product,


And not enough on

diplomacy.




Sometimes you just focus on

the brand voice,


And not enough on

the product.



The balanceis hard to find.


“...So if an entrepreneur is a coding genius, Andreessen will work on helping with go-to market strategies, marketing, recruiting, and more. The firm has developed a network of talent in-house to help with this.”

-Techcrunch “The Rise of the Company Builders”


Founders should deeply understand brand.


We need more emphasis on

creating meaning.


But this can be abstract.Let’s explore a bit.


What is

brand?


What you tell your customers.

What is

brand?



What your customers think and tell their friends.

What is

brand?



Brands are builtover time through proactive iteration and refinement.


Brands are a cohesive storytold to the world.


And when donewell, can be adifferentiator.


But most brands are boring.


Many categories are commoditized.


Consumers are harder to reach than ever.


But starting from scratch is a beautiful thing.


How can you be new & interesting?


The MBA teaches:PositioningCompetitive setVisual identityMissionValuesWhy/How/What?


But there’s a newrulebook and new imperatives.


It is no longer

just your tag-lines or materials,


it is the review

in the app store, the tone of the @reply.


Your aesthetic and user experience.


Brands exist in people’s heads.


So, how can a brand feel

human, vibrant and engaging?


Building blocksWhat are the things we need to consider when building a brand from the start?


What problemare you solving?



How are you different?



What is the tone?



Who are your mostimportant constituents?



What role does your audience play in the brand? active or passive?



Through which channels do

you communicate?



12 rulesof building a brand from scratch:


1Coherence is key (across all mediums)


2Have a core belief that is easily articulated to the world.


3Manage expectations.


4Gut check your messaging and communications with the real-world. Don’t live in a vacuum.


5Relationship building needs to happen long before you need it.


6News only comes around once in a while. Have a plan to fill the void.


7You don’t need a huge media budget to acquire customers.


8Build a brand through iteration and refinement. Space to grow over time.


9UX is now integral to brand experience as much as a logo is.


10Improving your niche and category through goodwill can reap benefits.


11Don’t take shortcuts on cultivating the right audience.


12Don’t forget about real life. Step out of digital and into the community.


Thank you!

@[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Building a brand from scratch: what early stage entrepreneurs need to know