You just started your business and you’ve probably spent money on registration, getting a new business space, even spent money on ads — and now you’re on your last penny. You’re seeing online how branding is the “soul” of every business, and you’ve taken a sneak peek at how much it costs, but there’s zero dollars left.
Don’t sweat it — here’s how to build your brand identity while spending little to no money.
Colors
This is one of the most important aspects of branding, if not the most important. Colors communicate your brand identity to your ideal paying customers and trigger emotions that influence their buying decisions.
The ideal practice is to have at most 3 brand colors:
- Pick one main color
- Pick a supporting color
- Pick a neutral color (white or black)
If you want to know how to pick colors for your business brand, here’s a guide on what different colors communicate to your customers click here
Logo
Next is the logo. At the risk of stating the obvious, the logo colors must match the colors you picked earlier.
If you have little to no design experience, you can use Canva or a Canva template. Some websites also help you create logos for free:
- logo.com
- looka.com
Font
You need a font to communicate your brand message to your clients.
If you’re a premium brand selling premium items like luxury cars, you’d want to use premium fonts like Bodoni or Playfair Display. Whatever font you choose, always ensure readability.
When you’re done with these three, you practically have the visual essentials down. Now we move on to the non-visuals — your brand voice and brand story.
Brand Voice
Your brand voice is how your business sounds when it communicates — whether that’s on social media, in emails, or even on your packaging. Think of it as your business’s personality in words.
Ask yourself: if my business were a person, how would it talk?
A few examples to help you figure this out:
- A children’s toy store might be playful, warm, and fun
- A law firm would be professional, trustworthy, and precise
- A streetwear brand might be bold, raw, and unapologetic
Brand Story
People don’t just buy products — they buy stories. Your brand story is the why behind your business. Why did you start it? What problem are you solving? What do you stand for?
You don’t need a fancy copywriter for this. Just answer these three questions honestly:
- Why did I start this business?
- Who am I trying to help?
- What change do I want to create for my customers?
Turn those answers into 2–3 sentences and that’s your brand story. Put it on your website, your Instagram bio, wherever your customers can find you.
After you’re done with all this, put it all together — use your colors, logo, font, voice and story consistently across your flyers, social media, website and graphics. Just like that, you have a brand identity that attracts clients.
If you’d like help turning this into a real brand that attracts customers consistently, click the link below to book a free strategy session.