How do I build a strong consumer brand for my startup?

People use the word “brand” rather loosely. Sometimes it means “brand image” - things like packaging and logos. It might mean “brand ethos” - mission and messaging and the like. Or perhaps they mean building the brand - community etc. But in any case the three are merged together.

Brand is important because the mechanics of what it takes to build a company - supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, etc. - is becoming commoditized and increasingly brand is what sets startups apart.

But in the end, what exactly is it, and how do you build it?

Your Company’s Character

Jeff Bezos once described a company’s brand as like a person’s reputation, meaning that it’s earned through trying to do difficult things well. I’ve always felt that way about brand; it is something that you must demonstrate, not something that you get to claim.

But I would go one step further - brand is your company’s character. Like a person, character is shown by what you do when no one is watching.

Legendary basketball coach John Wooden famously said that you should worry more about your character than your reputation; the first is who you truly are, while the second is simply what others think you are.

And in today’s world where brands can interact directly with customers, character and reputation are a lot closer together. A reputation based on something made up is flimsy, and when customers sense that something isn’t authentic, it’s hard to regain that trust. This is part of why some very large and well-established consumer companies struggle to win over young shoppers.

Convert It into a Lasting Reputation

So how do you build that character, and how do you convert it into a lasting reputation?

First off - be consistent. One of the worst mistakes early on is when you build out different elements of the brand in a vacuum. One person does the mission, another does the logo, another does the website, another does the packaging, and so on.

You can do a quick test to see how strong your brand is. Just ask your customers what three adjectives they’d use to describe your brand. If most people’s adjectives are the same, your brand is probably pretty strong.

Think about companies like Whole Foods, Apple and Nike. Consumers describe them in much the same terms. Most people could draw their logos and describe what they are about in a similar way.

Now, obviously a strong brand isn’t necessarily a good one - consistency is just the minimum bar.

The second tip - your visual identity. (Packaging, logos, web design, etc.). Many treat these things as the brand itself. But the visuals are most often the first way a consumer will come into contact with your brand, and it’s the fastest way for you to signal who you are and what you’re about. The world judges very quickly based on first impressions and visuals, and so this is an incredibly important way to tell your story about who you are as a company.

Now, like fashion, brand design is influenced by trends. Trends are the manifestation of what people find beautiful at a particular time. (Just look at all of the Millennial Pink storefronts all over downtown New York, or how brands like Warby Parker, Casper and Allbirds are almost clones). But while you shouldn’t ignore trends entirely, it’s also important to stand out.

Find creative help if you aren’t particularly creative. You can use freelance designers if you need to - it doesn’t have to be someone inside the company - but it needs to be clear who owns the process of evolving the design. For a consumer brand, obsessing over how your things look is vital.

And the third - challenge yourself to stand out - especially given all the competition out there. There’s something hard that each of these brands has done - from Warby Parker and at-home and virtual try-ons to Casper and shipping mattresses in boxes to Allbirds and engineering a new natural material for sneakers.

Each of these things were difficult to do, and in doing so it validated the values of the brands - the material in Allbirds signals that it cares about both comfort and sustainability. When you do tough things, it also lends your brand credibility.

Fourth - build a community. Community is the best way to convert character into reputation - by bringing customers together in conversation.

Of course, “community” is easy to talk about, but a strong community looks something like what you see in the comments on Drunk Elephant’s Instagram page, where the skincare brand’s followers interact about tips, and ask for specific products.

You can use many tools to help encourage community, from social media to your customer service team to a referral program with incentives or hosting local events.

Finally - have a mission that is bigger than your product. A strong mission rallies not only your customers, but also your investors and employees and press. And it will reinforce your brand. (Of course, you shouldn’t force “purpose” on customers.)

For instance, take The Honest Company, which sells household goods. Safety for children is not secondary or a nice add-on, but rather central to the business, and reflected in their products. And it’s something the company also puts money behind, donating some of its profits to children’s health.

A caveat: You shouldn’t think of your mission as a marketing ploy. Too many brands add on one-for-one business models or donate to causes not related to the product they sell. And consumers are increasingly suspicious of this.

In other words, bring it back to character - your values should be baked into how the company functions so your customers can get them without you having to tell them.

Building a brand is not something that happens overnight. It can take years. But it’s well worth taking the time, because the equity you earn from building your brand will only become more valuable.