If you are a first-time small business owner, building a brand is something you've likely never done—let alone thought about how to do.Do you hire someone? If so, how do you find them? How are you supposed to come up with ideas...or even know what your brand should look like? The list of questions you might have goes on and on. So today, we want to help you feel confident (and on the right track) about not just the brand you are going to create but the brand you are going to build. Read on for a quick checklist of the assets you need to create as well as tips to help you build a brand that is recognizable.

4 Brand assets you need

First things first, it's always a good idea to start with a mood board since it is a great way to organize your inspiration and set a creative direction. Haven't heard of a "mood board" ever before? No worries—it's simply a collage of 5 or so photos you like and feel capture to look and feel of the brand you want to build. And, because it is typically only used as an internal document, most small business owners create theirs with images they find on Pinterest or Google Images.

Next up is finding the right colors for your brand. This might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many businesses choose colors that don't match what they are trying to build. The colors you choose should be in line with the type of service or product you offer as well as help you communicate the message you want to send to your target audience.For example, if you are a luxury brand, using colors like gold and white would make more sense than say, orange or pink. On the other hand, if you want to convey a more natural feel, earth tones might be a better option. And, typically, a brand color palette includes 3-6 colors.

Which brings us to the part where you create a great logo!A logo is one of the most important aspects of your brand because it's often the very first thing people will see—which means it is part of their first impression of your brand (and business!). Think about some of the most popular brands in the world—like Nike, Target, and Apple. What do they all have in common? Simple, easy to remember logos that are also highly recognizable. So it’s important to create something people are able to see and immediately associate with your company. To do that, you need to make sure it's unique but also reflects the overall tone and personality of your business (which you helped define by creating a mood board). But here is the thing, hiring a professional graphic designer to create a custom logo for you can be expensive, and many small business owners like yourself are trying to be smart with their money as they get things off the ground. So don't feel like you have to hire a graphic designer to create something custom—you certainly can if your budget allows for it, but you can also turn to places like Creative Market or Canva to purchase something you can simply (and quickly customize).

Pro-tip: The commonly used file types are .jpg, .png,.pdf, and .svg. It is also helpful to have a "working file" that designers can use to modify your logo in the future. Those would be .psd(Photoshop) or .ai (Illustrator) files.

The last brand element you want to put thought into as you build your brand is your fonts. This can feel like a bit of a rabbit hole since there are tons of options out there, but our advice is this, pick from Google Fonts to save money and make sure you won't have any trouble using your fonts on digital platforms like your website. You'll want to have a font for your headlines (H1s), subheadlines (H2s), and body copy (paragraph).

Your quick brand asset checklist:

Mood board (approximately 5 photos)

Color palette (3-6 colors)

Logo (.jpg, .png, .pdf, and .svg)

Fonts (for headlines, subheadlines, and body)

Pro-tip: Enji helps you keep all of your brand assets organized in one place and easy to share!

Tips to help you build a brand

Once you have your brand sorted out, it's time to start using it! You need to be consistent with how you use your branding across all channels—social media, website, marketing materials, etc. because consistency is key. If people see your brand presented one way on social media but then see something completely different on your website, it's going to be confusing and does not send a very strong message. Have a specific version of your logo that you use as a profile picture (cropped and sized appropriately), another for on your website, and a consistent version to use on things like product packaging, business cards, proposals, and the like.

But in addition to physically putting your logo in certain places and using your brand colors and fonts, you have to "put your brand out there" in order to build it. If you want people to recognize and remember your brand, you need to make sure they are seeing it often. A good way to do this is through PR. Getting featured in publications or media outlets, whether online or offline, creating partnerships, or even paid advertising is a great way to get more eyes on your brand and help build credibility. 

Building a brand can seem like a daunting task but if you break it down into smaller steps, it doesn't have to be so overwhelming. Start with these basics and then continue to work on building and promoting your brand—before you know it, people will be talking about your company!

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