“Walt Disney told his crew to ‘build the castle first’ when constructing Disney World, knowing that vision would continue to serve as motivation throughout the project. Oftentimes when people fail to achieve what they want in life, it’s because their vision isn’t strong enough.” – Gail Blanke, President and CEO of  Lifedesigns

Are you stuck trying to get your business off the ground? Is trying to create your brand becoming a chore? Follow the steps below to create a brand you will be proud of and it will be your guide throughout the birth of your new business.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Steps to Creating Your Perfect Brand

Creating a brand is a great way to establish yourself and your business. Here are some helpful steps to get you started:

1. Audience: Who is your ideal target audience? Who does your business serve? Be specific. Focus on who would most benefit from your products or services.

2 Research: Research your industry; those you aspire to and your competition in order to gain a better understanding of your market. Note what you like and don't like from each group. Feel like the market is saturated? Don't worry. There is plenty of room for you and your business, competition is good. That tells you that there is a need for your service or products.

3. Define: Define your brand purpose, vision, mission and values. Why do you exist? What is your long term vision and your current mission? What are 3-4 things that your business values above all else. Check out this free planner to help guide you.

• Brand purpose: Find the intersection of your passion, your talent, and what the world needs. That's your brand purpose and will be a business you enjoy for years to come.

• Vision: What do you see that you and your business has accomplished in 5-10 years. What is your north star? Think big!

• Mission: What do you do every day and who do you do it for? What makes your services or products better than the others? That should all be included in your Mission. Everyone in your business should all be driven by this mission.

• Values: What do you and your business stand for? What are the values that will not be compromised day to day and represent the integrity of your organization.

4. Design: Create a logo and visual identity that reflects your brand. Choose a group of fonts. Create a brand voice. What colors speak to you? What kind of image will quickly communicate what you do or what you value? Or is it simply a letter or initials. What types of language and words will be consistent throughout your messaging.Need some help?

• Canva - Canva is my go to tool to create logos, brand identities and all designs associated with my business. This makes brand creation a breeze.

• Coolors.co - There are SO many colors...so many! But Coolors.co will make choosing colors so much easier. Use a trending palette or choose your own!

5. Develop: Develop a website and other marketing materials to get your brand out there. Use your colors, logo and brand voice to set up a website that can now communicate what you do, who you do it for and your mission and vision. Tell the world about your or your company and use your brand design throughout. Start with a template if you are not a designer, and change out everything to match your brand.

6. Connect: Connect with your target audience and let them know what your brand stands for. Do this with social media, a blog, a newsletter or some other consistent communication. Choose just one of the things I just mentioned and go all in on that for 90 days and see where it gets you.

7. Evaluate: Regularly evaluate your brand’s performance and make improvements as needed. You have to always assess and evaluate how your efforts are paying off. Look at where you website traffic is coming from via Google Analytics. Check out comments and reviews. Ask people who purchase from you how they got there. Don't be afraid to shift your channels or try something new if what you have been doing is not working as well as you had hoped. Be patient and keep on posting.

Good luck as you create your unique brand! You've got this!!

Download Our Free Guide to Writing Your Mission and Vision

Bonus Tip:

If this is a bit overwhelming considering finding someone to help you move through the steps. At Future Ready Consulting we can help you move through the process. Download the guide above then get in touch through our website.