How To Build a Brand in 7 Steps: Get Started in 2025 - Shopify

Brand building is a critical part of starting a business. A great business idea or innovative product means nothing if you can’t communicate it to the world—specifically in a way that your target audience can relate to.

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

How customers, competitors, and the market perceive your brand image comes down to brand positioning and aesthetic choices, but your brand identity is more than a logo. It encompasses everything from your brand personality to mission statement to the consistent color palette you use across channels.

In this guide, learn how to build your own brand from scratch and create a compelling and memorable brand identity that resonates with your target audience. Plus, explore what it takes to create a brand logo or catchy slogan, with real examples from successful brands and branding design tips from experts.

What is a brand?

A brand defines a business, product, service, person, or concept in the market. It differentiates your business from others in the same industry and has a set of rules (called brand guidelines) that dictate how that business will be marketed and presented. Branding is the process of establishing a brand—how it looks, what it sounds like, and the defined target audience it hopes to reach. 

What are the building blocks of a brand?

A brand is more than a logo, slogan, or color palette. To build a successful brand, there’s plenty of groundwork you need to do before you can start designing a website or creating marketing materials. 

Here are the building blocks to include in your brand guidelines document:

Target audience

Defining your target audience is one of the most important stages of creating a brand from scratch. Everything stems from this. Defining your audience in detail helps you build a brand that speaks directly to it. Later in this article, you’ll learn tactics for understanding this audience.

Brand identity

Your brand identity encompasses your business name and the visual elements that define your brand, from your logo and colors to the aesthetic of your photography and your social media handles. Brand identity also includes your brand’s story and competitive advantage.

Brand voice

Brand voice is how your brand sounds. Defining this ensures brand consistency across every customer touchpoint. If your customers expect a cheeky, frank tone from you on social media, carry that through into your website copy and other communications.

Mission and values

Your brand’s mission is the North Star for your business. It establishes both a goal for your company and a promise to your customers. Your values are what your brand stands for. Both are important as you build your brand because they keep your decisions in check. Whatever you do as a brand should always stay true to your mission and values.

Style guide

Your brand style guide is one part of your larger brand guidelines. It spells out exactly how your brand will surface on every platform or channel. It covers acceptable use of your logo, fonts, brand voice and tone, and the overall aesthetic of your brand. It’s a useful guide as you scale, hire, and use agencies to create work on your behalf. 

Establishing brand guidelines

Brand guidelines are the bible for your brand. This document or set of documents will take a position on every aspect of your brand and how it shows up in various places. Every decision you make during the brand building process will be captured here. 

A well-executed set of brand guidelines will achieve the following:

• Keep staff, freelancers, retail partners, and agencies on the same page
• Aid in staff hiring and training (what are the qualities your brand looks for in an employee?)
• Ensure your branding is consistent across all touchpoints
• Be a go-to resource for crisis communications
• Be a flexible document that grows with your brand

How to build a brand in 7 steps

1. Research your target market
2. Determine your brand’s voice and personality
3. Choose your business name
4. Write your brand story
5. Create a brand style guide
6. Design your logo and brand assets
7. Apply your branding across your business

As a small business owner, taking the time to establish your brand image is critical, especially if you’re entering a crowded market. Plus, creating a solid foundation for your brand identity can help you build brand awareness over time. 

While you might revisit some steps as you pivot or create your brand, it’s important you consider each aspect as you shape your brand identity. Bookmark this guide as a handy resource to access throughout your brand building journey.

1. Research your target market

The first step to building a successful brand is understanding the current market: Who are your potential customers and competitors? Every solid brand strategy and business plan is based on this very question. 

You can’t create a brand logo unless you know your audience's preferences. And developing a unique brand personality can only happen once you know the competitive landscape. 

There are many ways to conduct market research before you start the brand building process:

• Google your product or service category and analyze the direct and indirect competitors that appear in search results.
• Talk to people who are part of your target market and ask them what brands they buy from in your industry.
• Look at the relevant social media accounts or pages your target audience follows.
• Shop online or in retail stores and get a feel for how your customers would browse and buy products.
• Investigate trends in your industry by reading publications, browsing social media, and using Google Trends.

During your research, note the biggest brands in the market. What are they doing right? What do you offer that they don’t? This is called your unique selling proposition (USP). 

You should also pay attention to the habits common to your target audience, like the platforms they use most, the language and slang they use, and how they engage with other brands. These insights will help you understand where and how best to reach them. 

Lingerie brand Lemonade is a size-inclusive and body-positive line of products for “every person.” While this may sound like a broad audience, Lemonade understands that its target customer is someone who doesn’t feel represented by typical lingerie brands.

Beyond saying it, Lemonade shows it’s a brand for all bodies by showcasing diverse models and offering gender-affirming products.

2. Determine your brand’s voice and personality

Branding isn’t about trying to be everything to everyone. A strong POV will speak to the audience you care about most. It will tell this group that yours brand is for them. To develop this POV and a distinct brand voice, there are several exercises you can complete. 

Create a positioning statement

A positioning statement is one or two lines that stake your brand’s claim in the market. It won’t necessarily be a public-facing statement, but will help steer the direction of your brand story and other parts of your brand guidelines. 

A positioning statement should outline what you sell, who it’s for, and what makes you unique. Your value proposition is what’s going to give you an edge—even in a crowded market. 

Use this template to create yours: 

“We offer [PRODUCT/SERVICE] for [TARGET MARKET] to [VALUE PROPOSITION]. Unlike [THE COMPETITION], we [KEY DIFFERENTIATOR].”

An example positioning statement might look something like this:

“We offer lightweight and waterproof daypacks for travelers, which fold into a wallet-sized pouch when not in use. Unlike other accessory brands, we guarantee our packs for life—no questions asked.”