“When it comes to branding, don’t overthink it,” says branding expert Yali Saar.
Saar is the CEO and cofounder of Tailor Brands, a venture-backed startup company using artificial intelligence (AI) to teach computers how to design logos, write copy and even plan content strategy.
“How long should you spend working on your brand?” asks Saar. “A month? A quarter? I'm happy to tell you that both of these time frames are too long.”
Branding today is about speed, says Saar. Prior to Tailor Brands, Saar was a journalist, political spokesperson and cofounder of Raising the Bar, a worldwide education initiative with hundreds of members in New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Hong Kong.
Branding is about creating a positive image for the company in the consumer’s minds. Here are four branding tips from Saar to speed the process:
- It's not about you, it's about them. The first question that every person asks during the branding process is "does this represent me and my mission?" While aligning your brand with your vision is important, putting it in the center of your brand building process will prevent you from looking at the most important thing: your customers. Saar says, “Your vision was created to solve a problem or answer a need, so instead of asking whether or not your brand represents you first, ask yourself whether or not it represents your clients and the reason they need your service.”
- Make sure even a kid can draw it. One of the most repeated questions Saar hears is "how can I make my brand unique?" The simple answer is you shouldn't. Memorable is not necessarily unique and you should make it memorable. Your test isn't whether people say they’ve never seen anything like it, the test is whether or not they can remember it when they go home and tell their friends about the cool product that they just bought. Memorability equals virality. And what’s the best test to ensure your brand is memorable? Show it to a 6-year-old and ask him/her to draw it. Saar says, “Did you pass the test? Great! You didn't? Try and choose a more distinctive color and simplify the rest.”
- Remember that brands are all about emotions, and colors evoke those best. Brands are all about the emotions they evoke in customers. They are about creating a layer of perceived value over the actual value your product creates. And there is nothing more emotional than colors. Do you want your product to be perceived as luxurious? Don't add a splash of yellow to it and opt for black instead. You want everyone to feel relaxed in your new spa? Maybe lose the red paint and opt for something a bit more blue or purple. It's a simple trick but if you conduct any brand color A/B testing, you'll know it can have remarkable results. While you might want to just pick your favorite color, if you want your brand to succeed, Saar suggests you give colors a second thought.
- Brands are about continuity. “We live in a multi-platform world,” says Saar. People will bump into your brand in the street, visit your site, and search for it on Yelp. As businesses become easier to set up, customers do their due diligence to understand exactly what your brand is all about, and there is nothing more distrustful than a brand that shows different faces depending on the platform they are on.
“While we would all like to be pro golfers that manage to hit a hole in one, brand building is an iterative process,” says Saar. “You need to try things out and see how they resonate with your clients. So instead of trying to build the best brand on the first go, launch as soon as possible and be sure to collect feedback so you'll know how to adjust as fast as possible.”
