Are You Guilty Of Making These Startup Branding Blunders?

Note: This is a guest post by Prince Kapoor. The author’s views are entirely his own and may not reflect the views of Deepanshu Gahlaut’s Blog.

Building a startup that can meet the market standards and bring profit is no bed of roses. Many of the famous business tycoons have launched several failed startups before building a brand that is successful. And poor branding is one of the core reasons why most of the startups end up in the trash.

Branding is a core factor that makes up for the success of any business. But most of the startups tend to underestimate branding making it the deadliest mistake for their growth. Now branding doesn’t have to be your worst nightmare but it is must to have a better understanding before you step in.

The article here mentions some common branding blunders most of the startups are guilty of making:

#1: Choosing a Bad Business Name

We have all heard names like “Riya’s Cosmetics” or “The Best Ayurveda Clinic”, etc, etc. Do they look like something you are going to remember forever? Your business is not about you but your customers and therefore keeping a name that is as generic as above will do no good to your brand.

An ideal brand name is something that is never repetitive, and definitely not something which is extremely common. Just like you put your best efforts to name your baby, you have to put the same level of effort and analysis in your brand name too.

Your brand is no less than your baby and which is why you must give it multiple thoughts before finalizing one. Your brand name must demonstrate your identity, purpose and core messages.

PS. stay away from cliché names 😉

#2: Forgetting to Keeping It Minimal

We understand that you want everything about your startup to be perfect but with a limited budget in your hand, you need to look for smarter options. Instead of “going all out” with your branding process, look for simpler and neater options.

My friend got his first logo designed for free using Canva – a free online logo design tool, not bad for the starting right?

Simple, elegant and relevant, right? Paying a huge chunk of amount just to get a logo designed is definitely not something you can afford now. Instead, opt for some DIY and spend your money on the right places. Start with simple, and when you have decent money in hand, you can definitely look for the better options.

#3: Don’t Assume That Branding is All About a Logo and Tagline

As I said multiple times, branding is not all about your logo or tagline. Branding is everything that your brand represents, from your web design to the content your website creates. Blindly following the crowd will do no good to your business and turn out to be a time waste. For better results, you need to identify the right place to spend your efforts in.

A real-life example of this would be the famous Yahoo. When Marissa Mayer was appointed as the new CEO of Yahoo, her first step was to change the company logo. After much hyper among market, when the logo was unveiled, all the expectations were crushed.

The logo wasn’t a blunder but it was nothing matching to the hype either. Thus it ended up being just a minor change that contributed nothing to brand success.

#4: Getting Associated With Wrong Things

The importance of minimalism is understood by many big brands but again, being too much generic is also not a wise choice. There is a very thin line between being simple and being forgettable that often gets blurred. One must be bold while being clear. Stay away for useless bells or whistles.

If you plan to stay long term (which I’m sure you do), make sure to attach your brand to anything wisely. If you are planning to partner with another brand or product, make sure it doesn’t confuse your audience. It must match your core message. Getting linked to irrelevant things will make your brand look untrustworthy.

#5: Getting Seduced By Your Own Distractions

You’re an entrepreneur which is why it seems quite obvious to getting surrounded by multiple ideas at a time. Also, there will be multiple people who are going to suggest you multiple options but always know, they are not the ones whose brand and money is on the stake. Whatever you do, make sure to test it multiple times. Do research market, competition as well as your core purpose. Customers today are very vulnerable. One err, and they won’t feel for you.

Having a brand builds a permanent image in customers’ mind providing you long-term success. It lets your customers know what you are, what you offer, while also establishes you as an industry leader. Pretty much solid reasons to invest in right branding strategies, right?

Author Bio

Prince Kapoor is Freelance Marketing Analyst and Blogger. While not working, you can find him in the gym or giving random health advises to his colleagues which no one agrees on :D. If you too want some of his advises (on health or on marketing), reach him out on Twitter.