We all know how important branding is for your business, right? In a nutshell, a strong brand is an identifying message, culture, symbol, or feeling that distinguishes you from your competitors. Your brand is the connective element between you and your audience, too. 

(if you need a resource for all things branding, you can find that  right here.)

Basically, your brand will help you elevate your business and build a loyal audience base. That’s why it’s so important to nail your brand!  

But before you can build a loyal audience and elevate your business, a strong brand needs some essential elements in order to make an impact on your audience, your team, and anyone else that comes in contact with your business. 

Here are the pieces of your brand explained to understand exactly what you need to accelerate your business with your branding!

Brand Story

How did your business start? What did you have to go through to make your dream a reality? What core values or passions did you prioritize to create the business you have today? Your answers to these questions are your brand story, and it is so important for your overall branding.

Your brand story inspires your audience and connects them to your values and overall mission or vision. This can be so powerful in building those essential relationships.

Brand Values

What do you care about? What is a pivotal piece of your company? Do you want to end world hunger? Do you want to be known for your innovation or community-orientedness? 

Whatever you are passionate about, make sure that every interaction with your brand justifies this value. Each of your values should be proven in your day to day workflow.

Mission Statement

Why does your business exist? What are you trying to achieve? Your answer is your mission or vision statement. A mission (or vision) statement addresses the overall goal that your company is attempting to achieve.

• Are you trying to help women reach their full potential through your programs?
• Are you helping minority women put their health first through your nutrition coaching business?

Whether it’s broad or specific, your mission statement tells your audience the WHY behind your business. And believe me, this can be powerful for your brand. 

We don’t buy Patagonia gear because it’s cheap, right? We buy it because their brand mission is to build products that last to reduce negative impacts on the environment. 

Brand Design

When people think of branding, the design is usually the first element that comes to mind because it’s the most tangible and visually obvious. And while the design is certainly an important part of your branding – your brand design is only one piece of this multifaceted puzzle. 

Brand design includes everything from font to colors and images to logos, plus every other visual feature in between. Making these designs cohesive is where brand design strategy comes in. You need to be using your design elements and visuals to tell your audience something. Whether it’s telling them you are a luxe brand or have an open-doors type of vibe, your brand design helps to convey this message directly to your audience visually. 

Learn about the characteristics of a well-designed brand here.

Tone of Voice

Your brand voice is how your company communicates through subtle elements like your word choice, how you speak, and the overall message you are conveying to your audience. Do you want to come across as chic, reserved, and high-end or friendly, witty, and down-to-earth? Or a mix of both?

Your company values are evident in your tone of voice, so use it wisely! When you don’t nail your tone of voice, you can actually give your potential customers a confusing brand experience. Having guidelines for your team members (and yourself) is a smart move if you want your voice to be cohesive across all of your platforms and communication channels. 

Learn more about establishing your brand voice here. 

While these elements certainly aren’t the only branding pieces you need to think about, they are the major ones that you absolutely can’t live without. Every other piece of your branding is supplemental to these, but all of them will help build out a well-rounded brand that your ideal audience will completely resonate with.

If you found this post helpful – I’d love to hear from you! If you have any branding questions or want to get started on building a beautiful brand, just contact me to get started!