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Branding research is understanding your business and sector to create something completely original with impact

Building your brand requires ample research

The best brands aren’t built overnight

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Brand research is one of the most important phases of building a brand. When a business understands what its sector wants and what its potential customers need, they drastically increase their chances of success. When building a brand, there are many more variables than simply building a business. Research is one of the most important steps to making sure you cover as many of those ever-changing variables as possible.

Brand research can be conducted at any time during your business journey, but it’s most vital at the beginning. Researching into all the factors that could encourage or inhibit your success is a great way to start your branding journey.

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What Do We Do?

Branding Research

Brand research is responsible for assisting with the formulation, growth and ongoing development of a brand. Knowing exactly how your sector works, and identifying niches within the sector itself can help to formulate a strategy that will increase your business’ chance of success. For example, when Red Bull came along, had any of us actually thought, ‘oh I need an energy drink’, probably not as often as you’d think. Understanding the space in the market helps develop a brand to occupy that space.

Brand Strategy

The strategy we help you develop will take into account long term growth prospects for your business. By identifying the potential for brand expansion we allow your business to think about and plan for the future. Helping dictate factors such as pricing, your competitive placement and your brand identity. Without knowing where your business sits within each of these factors, you don’t have a fully formed brand. You have an idea, brand research is the difference-maker.

Market Analysis & Position

Without conducting any form of brand research, it’s almost impossible to know what your company is all about, or what the sector itself is known for. Conducting brand research allows an agency to adequately address your marketplace and understand what competitive position would benefit your business the most. Take the clothing sector, for example, if you were sourcing your products directly from Italy it is unlikely that you would position yourself as a low-end brand. However, following brand analysis, your creative agency may find that there is a lack of mid-range businesses in the sector, and your competitive position could be decided on this factor.

Brand Research Methods

It’s important to remember that branding research can take place at any point in your journey. At formulation, brand research allows you to address your market position and the future growth of your business. Further down your business timeline, brand research teaches your business how it’s received currently by customers and employees, and how to plan for further brand development.

Surveys, Workshops & Focus Groups

Sometimes in business, old methods are the best. Using open-ended questions within surveys or workshops allows your business to conduct brand research that measures emotional responses towards your brand. Creating scenarios where someone external to the business assesses your brand, allows for growth opportunities across the board.

Online Metrics

Online social intelligence metrics offer a brand the opportunity to gather both quantitative and qualitative data regarding how their brand is perceived. Online metrics allow for deeper information to be collected and analysed. This is because conversations are constantly being conducted online. Bias is removed from anonymous surveys as people are free to say whatever they want and are unlikely to feel pressure to lean a certain way.

Combining Online Metrics & Competitive Analysis

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your competition is pivotal in any business scenario. Especially when it comes to climbing the sales ladder and pushing your brand to the summit of the mountain. Thanks to vast amounts of rich information online, you can complete branding research surrounding your competitors from the conversations that have been had about them. Allowing you to avoid making the same mistakes and to do what they have done well but doing it better!

Brand Awareness, Perception & Association

When conducting brand research you need to know three key brand traits from your customers and potential customers. Firstly can they recall your brand without being prompted? If so you’ve created a strong brand. What is their perception of your branding? Do they think you’re a good brand? Do you provide excellent service? Is your product up to scratch? Finally, we need to find out what they associate your brand with, are you high-end in their eyes, does your packaging look affordable or luxury?

Shopping experience

You need to know what people think of their shopping experience. This is absolutely essential whether you have a shopfront on the high street or you’re an eCommerce only business. If people have fond memories of shopping with your brand they are far more likely to come back and to recommend. As eCommerce websites have around a 70% shopping cart abandonment rate, we also need to know why people are leaving, and what this says about your brand.

The Brand Research Flow

Branding research for your business can be a flexible process. Our workflow will vary based on whether you are a new or existing business looking to freshen things up. Below we have simplified the way we work so our clients can fully understand the process.

1.

Scope

The first step is always scoping out your project to see if it’s achievable, we can then provide you with a project estimate and timeframes.

2.

Research

Within a branding research project, we aim to compile as much information as possible to help with the success of your brand. From competitor analysis to internal research about how your customers and employees feel about your brand. In order to help you build a brilliant brand or revamp your current brand, we need to know all the metrics, behaviours and perceptions.

3.

Design & Develop

We will design and develop a brand strategy that will help the long term growth of your business. Our plans aim to catapult your brand into the hearts of your potential customers.

4.

Refine

Once you’ve received your strategy, it’s now time to refine it based on any amendments you send through. This is where we refine your project further until it’s perfect for you.

5.

Deliver & Grow

Once we’ve sent over any deliverables it’s time to focus on your brand growth. We offer packages that include future support and help should you and your brand need it.

Branding Research Frequently Asked Questions

Will the branding research you provide guarantee my brands success?

Conducting branding research offers your business a lot more information than simply how your logo should look. A brand is much more than that, and our packages are aimed to improve your brand identity and the way your business operates daily. However, in business, as you probably know, nothing is guaranteed, but conducting research into and around your brand will definitely improve your chances of success in the long term.

I am starting up a new business and need to see if my business is a good idea, are Create8 able to help me with that?

At Create8 we are all about business development and helping all our clients to fully understand their latest business venture. Whether you are an existing client debating the move into a new sector or a new client testing the water, we are here to help. Having helped create lots of memorable brands, we have a wealth of experience across lots of sectors. Make use of our knowledge and energy and we are certain your brand will reap the rewards.

Once the research project is complete, are you able to help me with my design work moving forwards?

We thought you’d never ask! As we specialise in branding, research is normally the initial factor before we help to create an unbelievable design project for our clients. This is where we thrive! We are a versatile group of individuals meaning that once we have collected and processed the information from your research. We can’t wait to put this research into play to formulate designs to captivate and titillate your potential customers.

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