Branding you should think about before launching your startup

Do you have an idea in your head that you need to get out there in the world? Go for it. The timing is perfect for more startups to shakeup the stumbling economy. But first, there are a few things you should think about before you start writing that elevator pitch. Luckily, they are the […]

Do you have an idea in your head that you need to get out there in the world? Go for it. The timing is perfect for more startups to shakeup the stumbling economy. But first, there are a few things you should think about before you start writing that elevator pitch.

Luckily, they are the fun aspects of launching a business, but they will take a little more forethought than a pun you and your friends came up with in the pub and wrote on a napkin. Here are what you need to think about when considering your business’ name, logo, and principles.

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Name

It doesn’t need to be stated just how important your business’ name is. It’s almost as important as your own, arguably more. And like your own name you can invoke a lot of meaning into it. You do this so that your customers, clients, investors, etc. all know for sure what you are all about, with a simple utterance of one or two words.

Sometimes this can be simple. “Nelson and Murdoch Attorneys at Law”, is pretty self-explanatory, and unfortunately a lot of industries like law and finance force you to take a serious tone. Others can play with local colloquialisms, like naming a casino something involving “chips” or ‘slot heaven’ for example, or play with the spelling to reflect local pronunciation.

But when thinking of it, always keep in mind; any alternative meanings: look to the differences between American and English terms for example, the future: will your business take on new services in the future that don’t match your name? and;  the connotations of the words you use. You don’t want to give a cheeky impression – unless that’s exactly what you want to do.

Logo

Your logo is likely to everywhere your name does, for the exact same reasons. But, unlike your business name, it needs to be adaptable, which is why a lot of logos around the world are simple. They can fit in the corner of a webpage on a mobile screen or fill a Times Square billboard.

When designing your logo, you will want to think about what your business is, what it stands for and how you can incorporate that into an easily recognizable image. A good example is Apple, which, obviously, has an apple for a name and logo. It’s simple to draw and makes the link between a tech industry and scientist Isaac Newton clear.

What you stand for

More and more social media users are researching brands on their priorities and principles to ensure they line up.

This can be scary for brands, thinking they will alienate an audience with a divisive concept to back, but it doesn’t have to be. A baby product brand can speak for supporting mothers or giving support for children. You can talk of supporting small businesses, building a sustainable future, cruelty-free products, and other, less heated arguments.

It doesn’t even have to be as deep as that. You can stand for your own product being the affordable alternative, with marketing that says “find the cheapest insurance policy here”, or the one that bucks the trends, is the universal option, or even playful anarchy. There are a lot of concepts consumers can get behind.