Let’s make your business recognizable on any platform
First things first, you need to come up with your mission statement. This is a few sentences that tells people what you do, how you do it and why you do it. This isn't a slogan, and it doesn't even have to be published to your audience. All it needs to do is direct your business and your brand. For example, at Moon Pearl Marketing, our mission statement is this: “We empower small business owners and solopreneurs to grow their brands with confidence, creativity, and clarity. By integrating astrology, intuitive design, and accessible tools, we guide clients toward sustainable success without burnout, allowing them to focus on what they love. We approach business holistically, fostering genuine connections and aligning every step of the journey with purpose and intention.”
If you’re having a hard time putting it into words, try using ChatGPT or something similar, telling it what you do and why you do it, and asking it to write a mission statement. From there, adjust until it feels right for you!
The next step is to figure out who your audience is, so you can build a brand that will draw them in. If you've been operating for a while, you probably already have a good idea of who your audience is. If you're new, however, you're going to want to base this off of your ideal customer: who are you selling your product or service to? Think of those people and start to flesh them out. What are their likes and dislikes, what are their hobbies, what would they respond to in a brand? Do they want an elegant professionalism or a friendly neighborhood "insert-your-business-here"?
One of the easiest ways to ensure that all your content is consistent is by finding and utilizing a color scheme. To build yours, think of your mission statement and how you want your brand to come off to your audience. Research a little bit of color theory and find colors that exude the same qualities you want your audience to see in you. For example, I wanted my audience to know that my business values spirituality, compassion, and genuine connection, which is why I use blue, purple, and sometimes pink. To make it all look good, try playing around with something like Coolor.
I could probably make a whole checklist on logos, but the bottom line is this: you need a logo that's memorable, unique, and fits your brand. Try to keep it simple but not basic, and be sure you have three variants. One should include the entire name of your business in a recognizable, on-brand, and most importantly legible font. The second should have only 1-5 letters from your business name, like the first letter or the initials (for my business it’s MPM). Lastly, have an icon or mark without any text, some visual representation of your business. You can also just use the initial for this if you prefer! Don’t overcomplicate it, whatever you do.
You can make one yourself or hire someone else to make it, but if you DIY your logo, use a tool that lets you download your logo as a Scalable Vector Graphic (Adobe Illustrator, Google Drawings, Canva, etc). This allows you to make your logo as big or small as you need without it looking bad, which is important for websites and printed items especially.
Fonts are another thing that can be done by a professional or you can do yourself with a bit of research. You need to select two or three fonts that you can use in all your branding materials (social media content, website, flyers, etc). These fonts need to look good together and fit the vibes of your business. For example, my brand uses Chloe for headers, Enrique for paragraphs, and Brittany for signatures or special highlights. I found my fonts on Creative Market, and love the variety and licensing options there.
Your brand voice is one of the most important aspects of your brand. It's the way that your brand would sound if you were having a conversation with it. You'll use it in customer service communications, written content, and more. This is dependent on you knowing your audience, so think back to the ideal customer you made in the second step. What kind of language would you use when talking to them? Can you use casual words like "awesome" and "super", or do you need to stick to high-class terms like "wonderful" and "pleasant". Once you've nailed your brand voice, encourage your employees to use it at work, and double-check written communication to be sure it fits, presenting the consistent voice of your business to all your customers.