So you have a new business, or even an old business, but you get to that age-old question that has plagued business owners everywhere. How do I build my brand? We get it. It can be tough to know where to begin or even where to end. Your brand is what people will think of when they think of your company so build it wisely. You don’t want your company misrepresented and you don’t want to be building a brand for the wrong audience either. To help, we put together seven of our favorite tips that will help you brand your company in whatever direction you choose.

1. Be sure to research your target audience. You’d hate to spend money on branding your company only to find out it is targeted to the wrong audience entirely.

2. Research your competitors. You can always take tips from others so be sure to see what makes others successful and not successful. Learn from their mistakes and don’t repeat them.

3. Pick your focus selectively and give your brand a personality. Want to be funny? Sassy? Feminine? Masculine? The list goes on and on. Figure out who you want to be.

4. Write your slogan. Make it catchy but not wordy. We recommend short and sweet along with a little flair that encapsulates what your business is and who you hope to be.

5. Choose the look of your brand (colors and font). This is how people will recognize you. Be distinctive but not gaudy. No one likes to look at a bunch of colors and patterns that really don’t go together under six different fonts.

6. Design your logo. This logo will stick with your company hopefully for the remainder of time. Yes, there are those people who like to come up with a new logo for their business every year, but you can save yourself time, money, and hassle if you get it right the first time. Use tip #6 to help you pick the right logo for your company.

7. Apply your branding across your business and evolve it as you grow. Ta-da! Now that we have finally reached tip #7, it is time to watch all of your hard work pay off. Oh, and don’t be afraid of change. Let your brand grow with your company too. Sometimes creating your brand is the hardest part and implementing it is the easy part. Voilà!