How to use SWOT analysis to build your brand

by Kathryn Rhoades

A brand is one of the most important and valuable assets of any business, and developing a great brand is crucial to set you apart from competitors in your industry.  It's easy to create a logo, design a webpage, and hope for the best. But, have you really thought about what sets you apart from the rest? 

Learn more about the basics of branding and how it affects your business. 

​Branding is the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol, and design that differentiates a product/service/company from others in the industry.  Your brand is both the representation and reputation of your business, as well as its purpose, values, and attributes.  A successful brand is memorable, recognizable, and its mission is clear and concise.  It properly represents your business and resonates with your customer base.  An outstanding brand sets you apart from your competitors and develops customer loyalty. 

Think about your business for a second...  Does it have a strong brand? Can you easily describe your brand?  Can you consumers easily describe your brand?  If not, or if it could be stronger, follow along as I describe the basics of developing your brand.  

Know Your Company
This first step can feel like a journey of self-discovery. But, in order to begin the branding process, you must do your research in order to develop a clear picture of your company, your consumers, and your competition.  

Start by answering these 5 questions:

1. What is your company's mission / purpose / goal?
2. What is your company's personality -- what will customers remember?  
3. Who are your customers / what is your target market?  
4. What are your customer's needs, and how do you fulfill those needs?
5. Who are your competitors, and what differentiates you from them?

Use a SWOT Analysis to gain greater incite.
A SWOT Analysis evaluates an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You can provide a questionnaire to everyone involved in your company to generate meaningful information for each of the four points: 



















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• Strengths:  What characteristics give your company an advantage over others?  What makes your company stand out to consumers?  
  Examples:  A new, innovative product; the location of your business
• Weaknesses:  What characteristics place your company at a disadvantage relative to others?  What turns consumers away?
  Examples:  Lack of marketing; poor quality of goods or services
• Opportunities:  What things could your company do or add that would make it even stronger? 
  Examples:  Expanding into a new market ; cross promoting with others in your industry 
• Threats:  What things could occur in or to your company that would weaken it? 
  Examples:  A new competitor in your area; change in consumer needs or wants
  
  

You can find various SWOT Analysis examples online.  WikiWealth has a great SWOT Analysis generator free to create  your own survey.  Below is a completed example of a SWOT Analysis (via SmartDraw.com). 
Once you've done your research, you should have a clear picture of your company, as well as its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  

Build Your Brand
Once you've clearly defined your business, it's time to start branding.  These are the five basics to start building your brand:

• Brand Standards:  Create and use the same color scheme, design, look, and feel throughout.  Don't go overboard and you don't need to be fancy -- keep it clean and consistent.  This includes your logo, website, business cards, etc.  When thinking about brand standards, keep your industry in mind.  Develop your brand standards and keep them consistent in every aspect of your business.  
• Brand Messaging:  What is the key message you want to convey about your brand?  Consider your tagline...what is most important for your customers to know?  Your brand messaging should be related to the attributes you want to communicate about your company and what you want customers to remember.  Your brand messaging should always be consistent, whether it's a simple tag line or a mission statement. 
• Brand "Voice":  Is your company serious, fun, friendly, formal, casual?  (You get the gist.)  Develop a voice that fits your brand.  Develop a conversational tone and style to be remembered by your consumers. Be consistent and incorporate your brand voice in all business materials. 
• Brand Consistency:  As you've noticed, every point above includes this most important tip. Be consistent to integrate your branding efforts in every aspect of your business -- letterhead, email signatures, signage, how you answer the phone, uniforms, how your employees communicate to customers, marketing efforts, anything and everything related to your company. Unless you are consistent, your branding efforts will fail. 

The intent of branding is to paint a clear picture of what your company stands for and how you want to be perceived and remembered by your customers. Though the process may seem daunting, the importance of branding is crucial for success. If you feel you could benefit from some professional help, reach out to a marketing firm to assist you in developing a successful brand for your growing business. 

To learn more about our marketing services and how we can help develop your brand, click here. 

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