Looking to start a new business in 2022? Read this first, says Lucinda Sloane, of Bird Media

The new year heralds new beginnings, new aspirations, and for me, a new column! If you’re looking to join the 4.3 million self-employed people in the UK and start your own business in 2022, you may find this article particularly useful.

Top of your new business to-do list is your brand. And by brand, I am talking about so much more than a logo.

Developing your brand identity is an integral first step in developing a business with purpose and longevity. This process may appear daunting, time-consuming and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be – especially if you invest the effort in doing it right the first time.

Many new business owners are raring to go, brimming with enthusiasm for that first big sale, and often feel the pressure to hurriedly design a logo to sit at the top of an invoice or social media profile, only to find in three/six/twelve months they’ve grown tired of it or feel it doesn’t quite represent the business.

How do I know this? Because that was me back when I started Bird Media a fair few years ago now. Yup, I rushed it and six months later ended up going through a lengthy and costly rebrand. This was one of my greatest lessons learned and why I am so eager to support new businesses in their brand development.

So, let’s take a look at brand identity and why it is so important to get right…from the offset.

What is brand identity?

Your brand identity conveys to your customers who you are (your personality), what you do (your offering) and why you do it (your values).

What constitutes a brand’s identity?

A variety of components make up brand identity, including:

• Strategic components – Business name, values, USP
• Written components – Tag line, tone of voice (what you say and how you say it)
• Visual components – logo, fonts, colour palettes, imagery/photography/iconography

Why is it important?

A clear and consistent brand identity inspires customer confidence and trust in your products/services – and, in turn, inspires them to buy from you. It is also integral for brand loyalty and for distinguishing your business from your competitors.

What is the process?

When developing a brand, we’re aiming for longevity. The business needs to be relevant now but also have the ability to evolve and diversify its offering in the future. Therefore, having this foresight at the brand development stage is crucial.

I will continue to explain the hows and whys of strategic brand identity – as well as how to diversify or reposition your brand – in forthcoming articles. In the meantime, if you’d like a quick chat or advice for how to get started with developing your new business’s brand identity, email me on lucinda.sloane@thisisbirdmedia.com to arrange a call or visit www.thisisbirdmedia.com to learn more.

Follow Lucinda on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lucinda-sloane