How To Build Your Own Brand From Scratch in 7 Steps (2023)

Building a brand from the ground up that stands out is no easy task. What should it look like? How should it make people feel? Will it resonate with my target audience?

These are questions that inevitably come up when you start thinking about how to connect the dots between what you’re selling and who you’re trying to reach. You can check our guide on how to start a business to get started.

Whether you’ve got nothing but a business idea or want to pivot your existing branding design, here’s what you need to know about building a strong brand identity for your business.

What is a brand?

A brand isn’t just a recognizable name and brand logo that distinguishes you in a crowded market.

When you think about it, people have personal brands, too. We each have a name, a face, a style, and a way of communicating, and with these traits, we make different impressions on different people.

How to build a brand?

Building a new brand essentially boils down to seven steps:

1. Research your target audience and your competitors.

2. Pick your focus and personality.

3. Choose your business name.

4. Write your slogan.

5. Choose the look of your brand (colors and font).

6. Design your brand logo.

7. Apply your branding across your business.

While you might revisit some steps as you pivot or create your brand, it’s important that you consider each aspect as you shape your brand identity.

1. Research your target audience and your competitors

Before you start making any decisions about how to create a business brand, you need to understand the current market, i.e., who your potential customers and current competitors are.

There are many ways to do this:

• Google your product or service category and analyze the direct and indirect competitors that come up.

• Check subreddits that relate to your customers and eavesdrop on their conversations and product recommendations.

• Talk to people who are part of your target market and ask them what brands they buy from in your space.

• Look at the relevant social media accounts or pages your target audience follows and are receptive to.

• Go shopping online or offline and get a feel for how your customers would browse and buy products.

2. Pick your focus and personality

• You can’t establish your brand to be everything to everyone, especially at the start.

• It’s important to find your focus and let that inform all the other parts of your brand as you build it.

• Here are some questions and branding exercises to get you thinking about the focus and tone of your brand.

3. Choose your business name

What’s in a brand name? Depending on the kind of business you want to start, you can make the case that your name matters very little or it matters a lot.

As we’ve said before, a brand is so much more than a name. The personality, actions, and reputation of your brand identity are really what give the name meaning in the market.

4. Write a slogan

A catchy slogan is a nice-to-have asset—something brief and descriptive you can use as a tagline in your social media bios, website header, custom business cards, and anywhere else where you only have a few words to make a big impact.

• Stake your claim. Death Wish Coffee: “The World’s Strongest Coffee.”

• Make it a metaphor. Red Bull: “Red Bull gives you wings.” 

• Adopt your customers’ attitude. Nike: “Just do it.”

• Leverage labels. Cards Against Humanity: “A party game for horrible people.”

• Write a rhyme. Folgers coffee: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”

5. Choose the look of your brand (colors and font)

Once you’ve got a name down, you’ll need to think about your brand design—how you’ll visually represent your brand—namely your colors and typography. This will come in handy when you start to use a website builder to make your own website.