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How To Build A Brand From The Bottom Up
Building a brand can be a long and tedious process, like Lifeboat (rebranded after ten years!) – here's how to do it right.
Right now, I want you to think of the most famous companies that come to mind. Chances are, there's at least one on the following:
Nike
Microsoft
Apple
Coca Cola
Pepsi
McDonald's
All of these companies have very successful branding campaigns; they know their target market, how to interact with this audience, but most importantly, are consistent with their branding. If the Nike tick suddenly changed, we too wouldn't know who Nike is.
Think of branding as a way of identifying a business or individual, what is the businesses name, logo, slogan, color theme, and style? Branding should be as unique as possible, you want someone to see your logo or hear your name and instantly know what it is, what you provide, and how they can get their hands on your product or service.
This article will discuss how to build a brand from the bottom up, from researching your target audience to being consistent with your branding, here is what you need to know.
Research your target audience
Before setting up any business, website, or even a personal brand, it's essential to research your target audience. This lets you first see if there's a demand for the service you're providing, and second, it will enable you to see what your audience likes and dislikes, understanding what content and/or product works best to resonate with them.
Likewise, carrying out basic research is essential for setting your brand theme. Perhaps if your audience is generally younger, you may wish to go with a modern and interactive look/design, but if your audience is a little broader or older, then going for a more inclusive and traditional feel is likely better.
There are many ways to carry out this research; however, we recommend the following as a basic starting point:
Researching your competitors
Use a keyword tool to analyze the potential audience size
Post/view forums to interact directly with your target audience – ask their opinion, what they want, and what they think is missing from their niche
Out of these points, one of the most important is most certainly researching your competitors. You want to look for the already existing big brands, the Nike's and McDonald's of your niche or industry.
Conducting this research will allow you a feel of how big a market you can tap into, although some markets may look both fierce and competitive, often there are small gaps which can be filled – this is where you are likely to fit in.
A great way to find these gaps is to use a keyword tool such as Ahrefs. While this is more useful for finding keywords to target in blogs, it will also allow you to see what your target market is searching for, what they are in need of, and how many people are searching for this.
Finally, posting in forums/viewing other posts is a great way to find our directly what those in your target market are missing from their niche. This allows you to plug the gaps, solving real-world problems, providing knowledge, or creating a product to satisfy customers already in-need.
Choosing a business/website name
Choosing a business/website name is difficult, but often many people overthink this. You want your name to preferably be short, sweet, and simple. This allows customers to easily remember this, returning to your business/product when they next need it.
For some, choosing their name is as simple as their real name, whereas, for others, it makes more sense to develop an entirely new name and concept e.g., Nike.
Whatever you choose to go with, it needs to be brandable, allowing customers to identify your business while providing scaling options in the future.
Did you know: the company Nike used to be called Blue Ribbon Sports?
Acquiring a logo
Once you've chosen your business name, it's now time to acquire a logo. While you may be tempted to make this yourself or hire someone to do it for as little as $5, remember this is the face of your business – often the first thing a new customer will see.
Therefore, we highly encourage you to fork out a little, investing in mid-top rated designer to do an excellent job of it – allowing it to stand the test of time.
Be consistent with your branding
No matter how good your business or brand, if you're not consistent with your branding, your customer will often end up confused, wondering if they've landed on the right site, who their most recent email is from, or why they liked a post on Instagram twelve weeks back.
At Lifeboat, we like to say that branding is storytelling. The more we allow the customer to buy into the story, the more likely they are to make a purchase or to follow-up with you or your business.
Allowing more customers to buy into your story inevitably leads to more sales and conversions, landing new clients, and producing more revenue.
What's not to love?
A great first step to immersing each customer into your story is through consistent branding. Whether you're sending an email, posting a parcel, sending a tweet, or running a competition to win an Audi RS6, you must put the brand in front of the customer at all times.
Take care of the brand, and your brand will take care of you.
To conclude
Building a brand is like writing a story, you want your target audience to buy into this story to continue coming back to your business and/or service.
When it comes to building a brand from scratch, we recommend researching your target audience, choosing a short, sweet, and simple name, acquiring a high-quality logo, and, most importantly to remain consistent with your branding.
If all this sounds a little too difficult, we here at Lifeboat Advertising can help you out. Having worked with a variety of popular clients, including Melanie Meriney, Boston Motor Coach, Studio Five Fitness, rest assured you're in good hands.
To get in touch or to receive a free no-obligation quote, please click here.
Source/Repost=> https://lifeboat.dev/blog/how-to-build-a-brand-from-the-bottom-up ** Lifeboat | Advertising Agency ** https://www.lifeboat.dev
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COVID19: A Short Guide to Tourism & Business in Ipswich, Massachusetts
Photograph by Ben
Ipswich is a beautiful city located in the historically famous state of Massachusetts. This coastal town is known for its stunning scenery and mouth watering local seafood. From sunny beaches, beautiful sights, and rich history, Ipswich is an ideal destination for all travelers.
Whether you���re looking for something to do while all the businesses are still closed or just starting to plan for life after lockdown, here is the complete guide to Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Ipswich Experiences
Best Time to Visit
Ipswich has a moderate climate but the west coast winters can be cold, wet, and windy with temperatures dropping to a mere 7 degrees at times. From late June to mid-September, the highest temperature average is only around 72 degrees. This makes summer the ideal time to visit the town to thoroughly enjoy all the warm-weather activities that Ipswich has to offer.
Relax on Crane Beach
Take in the beauty of Crane Beach with its endless trails and sandy boardwalks. With miles of white sand shoreline and clear blue water, you can dedicate plenty of time to exploring the landscape. Year after year, Crane Beach continues to be named one of New England’s most beautiful beaches. (Note: tourists must pre-purchase tickets before arriving to Crane Beach).
Explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Photograph by Ben
Venture through more than 12 miles of trails to explore the forests, meadows, and wetlands that make up the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. It is filled with a diverse variety of wildlife from river otters and hummingbirds to painted turtles and great blue herons. You can explore this sanctuary either by foot along the boardwalks that weave through wetlands or even by canoe for a more up close and personal experience.
Walk Through History at Castle Hill
This 59-foot Stuart-style mansion was built in 1927 and is part of the massive Crane Estate which stretches for more than 2,100 acres along the Essex and Ipswich rivers. The mansion was refurnished in period style giving you the illusion of stepping back in time. The property’s Great House also hosts one-hour tours, concerts, and other events.
Meet Wolves Face-to-Face at Wolf Hollow
A wolf sanctuary and educational facility, Wolf Hollow aims to raise awareness about the North American gray wolves and provide an opportunity for visitors to see these animals up close in their natural environment. This is highly worth the trip to learn about this threatened species and observe the beautiful animals up close while at a safe distance.
Go Apple Picking at Russell Orchards
Photograph by Ben
Famous for their cider and donuts combination, Russell Orchards is a favorite experience for locals and visitors alike. This orchard specializes in award-winning fruit wines and hard ciders that are all made fresh on their farm. Summer and early fall are the perfect times to visit Russell Orchards when the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, and apples are all in season. You can spend hours hunting for these sweet fruits and reap the rewards in the end for a day of fun for the whole family.
What To Eat
Clams
No trip to the East Coast is complete without indulging in a bit of fresh seafood. Massachusetts is famous for its New England-style fried clams and Clam Chowder. The muddy estuaries and bays of Ipswich create a prime location for clam habitats. This makes Ipswich the ideal spot for fresh clams that very well could have been caught that very same morning.
Photograph by Ben
The most iconic eatery to dine on these famous Ipswich clams is the Clam Box of Ipswich. This simple clam shack has been around since 1938 offering high-quality dishes that use only locally harvested clams. In the summer, both tourists and locals flock to the Clam Box to feast on their delectable dishes.
In early May, Ipswich is home to the annual Cask & Clam Festival where a clam centered menu is paired with beer casks from local breweries and live music. This free event provides a great opportunity to savor the local flavors of Ipswich and a fun reason to visit the town.
Ipswich, Massachusetts is a beautiful part of the country filled with activities and sights for the whole family. Even if businesses are closed, there is still plenty to do out in the fresh air. Whether you stroll along Crane Beach, meet the wolves of Wolf Hollow, or even just spend your entire trip gorging on the delicious seafood, we guarantee a visit to Ipswich will not be one to forget.
Meanwhile, while you're frolicking all around this beautiful town, you know you'll want to catch a couple of good Instagram shots to share. Since Lifeboat is local to Ipswich, we know where all the hidden photo spots are! Contact us today to find out how our team of experts can help make your creative dreams come alive.
Source/Repost=> https://lifeboat.dev/blog/covid19-a-short-guide-to-tourism-business-in-ipswich-massachusetts ** Lifeboat | Advertising Agency ** https://www.lifeboat.dev
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Welcome Aboard! At Lifeboat, we provide small business, higher education, nonprofits, and corporations with expert visual design and proven results through our team of creators, makers, and doers. For all the times advertising agencies turned us down, we decided to pave the small business way. Visit Our Website: https://www.lifeboat.dev Watch On YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLgdMmoiXUZjn9fQ8qtMNA
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Lifeboat | Advertising Agency
Welcome Aboard! At Lifeboat, we provide small business, higher education, nonprofits, and corporations with expert visual design and proven results through our team of creators, makers, and doers. For all the times advertising agencies turned us down, we decided to pave the small business way. Visit Our Website: https://www.lifeboat.dev Watch On YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLgdMmoiXUZjn9fQ8qtMNA
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