Mastering the Art of Branding for Lasting Success

Starting out in the creative industry can be daunting, but like everything, it becomes simpler once you grasp the fundamentals. One cornerstone of building a successful business is branding. Branding is one of the most overlooked aspects of launching a business, yet without it, everything else can fall apart.

Branding is much more than just a pretty logo, although a compelling logo is indeed important. It’s the front cover of your entire company. This includes your logo, website, reputation, and the character of your company.

If your business relies on attracting attention, then your visual presence is the first thing that catches the eye. The layout of your website, the logo, the name, every visual element, can be processed by a viewer in as little as 13 milliseconds, and a judgment is formed almost instantly. People rarely attempt to persuade themselves to give you a chance. A powerful heuristic in economics is: people buy with emotion and justify with logic. Your job is to incite that emotion, use contrasting colors in your logo, make your brand front as enticing and thought-provoking as possible, and build a reputation that resonates.

Your reputation is shaped by your company’s actions, social responsibility programmes, and collaborations. For example, IKEA has a social responsibility program that shares stories about diverse groups, such as LGBTQ+ communities and Syrian refugees. This strategy brands them as inclusive and compassionate, attracting a socially conscious audience that values ethical shopping.

An important point to note about branding is that by attracting a target audience, you inevitably exclude another. As a budding entrepreneur, this idea of narrowing your potential customer base might feel counterintuitive, but without an identifiable niche, you risk being “for everybody” yet ultimately “for nobody.”

The people and organizations you collaborate with also impact your brand. For example, if you’re a vegan company partnering with a business known for unethical treatment of animals or selling animal products, you risk betraying the trust you’ve built with your audience. Your brand is only as strong as the consistency of your values.

Your company’s personality is built around four key factors: vision, mission, values, and unique selling point (USP).

Values refer to the ethical and moral guidelines your company adheres to. Here at Pick Up The Mic, we prioritize inclusivity, diversity, and equity. This may exclude certain audiences, but it creates a strong bond with like-minded viewers who share our values. If we stood for nothing, we’d fail to connect with anyone, and our brand would lack any point of differentiation.

Vision is the ultimate goal of your enterprise, what you’re aiming to achieve. Without a clear, defined vision, why would anyone support your brand? A clear vision brings you closer to your audience. Once they get past the visuals, they’re more likely to engage if your vision aligns with their beliefs and aspirations.

Mission defines what your brand does and what problem it solves. Every successful enterprise has been built on the founder’s passion to solve a particular problem. For example, with the abundance of misinformation online (such as climate change denial), our “Into the Spotlight” series aims to provide clarity, foster truth, and inspire environmentally conscious action - potentially even sparking new green enterprises.

Unique Selling Point (USP) answers the question: what makes your business irreplaceable? Creating a completely unique brand is difficult in today’s saturated market, but the creative industry still offers countless opportunities to stand out. Many small businesses fail to grow because they’re easily replaceable, offering nothing that others can’t do better. In the creative industry, the possibilities for irreplaceability are limited only by your imagination. At Pick Up The Mic, our USP is our focus on action as a catalyst for self-improvement. Beyond producing inspiring podcasts, we offer workshops to equip emerging entrepreneurs in the creative industry with the skills they need to thrive.

Learn more about our action here. In conclusion, the term “don't judge a book by its cover” is the last advice you should listen to as an entrepreneur- your company’s “cover” is the tool that turns a passing eye into a valued customer.