Branding is fun, but you should consider all the steps you need to take before developing your logo, positioning statement and voice. In this month’s blog, we will be sharing our Perfect Branding Bundt Cake recipe to give you insight into how we help our clients develop their brand and strategic messaging. Let’s get mixing!
Step One: Prep and preheat.
What do you do before you bake a cake? I’m no Betty Crocker, but I usually do some research on recipes to determine what kind of cake I want to make. Then I lay out all my ingredients to ensure I have what I need. The baking hasn’t begun yet, but these preparatory steps are critical to ensuring that I am not missing anything.
The same concept applies when you are looking at your company and its brand. Do some research. Who do you serve? Who do you want to serve? What’s their problem? How do you provide the solution? Do you have everything it takes to begin? If not, go to the store and buy those ingredients. Never enter the market without conducting research first.
Step Two: Combine your wet and dry ingredients.
Once you’ve made sure that you have everything you need, you can go ahead and begin to incorporate everything into a large bowl. In the research phase, you should have determined your audience’s key characteristics, such as their race, gender, values, income and education. We call these fancy ingredients your demographic and psychographic characteristics. Mix these all together until well combined… and voila! You have your audience.
Step Three: Bake for 20 min.
Now it’s time to pour your batter into the pan and watch it grow. Remove once golden brown. Sometimes we need to step back and take the time to monitor your audience. Make sure that you adjust as needed. You don’t just set a cake in the oven with no timer and expect great results. The same thing goes for your target audience.
Step Four: Decorate.
Now we can have some fun. Bundt cakes are known for their delicious flavor and simplistic decorations. When you are thinking about your look, decide what would resonate with your audience. Another thing to consider is your “voice.” This is a critical element. The decorations on your cake should match and complement the flavor. Likewise, your brand should complement and resonate with your audience. If the two don’t coincide, then you end up with a chocolate cake, blueberry icing and lemon filling… no thanks.
What’s the bottom line? It’s simple. Do your research and remember that less is more. Want some non-baking-related books to learn more about branding?
Check out these reads:
– Insanely Simple
– Building a StoryBrand
– Purple Cow
