Establishing a strong and cohesive brand identity is one of the most critical aspects of building a successful startup. Brand identity not only shapes how your customers perceive you but also builds trust, loyalty, and recognition in an increasingly crowded market.

According to Lucidpress, consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23 per cent. However, many startups fail to get it right from the beginning, leading to confusion and missed opportunities.

This post explores five common mistakes startups make when defining their brand identity and how to avoid them, along with practical steps and real-world examples from B2B companies that have succeeded by doing it right.

Mistake one: Not defining a clear brand purpose

The mistake:

One of the most frequent branding errors startups make is launching without a clearly defined brand purpose. They rush into the market with a product or service but fail to articulate why they exist beyond profits. Without a well-defined purpose, a brand lacks direction and differentiation in the market.

How to fix it:

Start by asking foundational questions:

• Why does your company exist?
• What problem are you solving, and how do you want to impact the world?
• How do you want your audience to perceive your brand?

Once you have answers, use them to build a clear brand purpose that will guide every decision.

Example:

Look at Slack, a B2B communication platform that identified its purpose as making work-life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. This guiding purpose set Slack apart from competitors and shaped how they built their product, messaging, and user experience.

Mistake two: Choosing a complicated or inconsistent brand name

The mistake:

A confusing or overly complex brand name can confuse potential customers and hinder brand recall. Startups often choose names that are difficult to pronounce, spell, or don’t align with their mission, which leads to poor recognition and inconsistent messaging.

How to fix it:

When brainstorming a brand name:

• Keep it simple, memorable, and easy to spell.
• Ensure the name reflects your brand’s essence or values.
• Verify that the name can be legally protected and that domain availability exists.

Example:

B2B SaaS company HubSpot chose a simple, yet effective brand name. It’s easy to remember, descriptive of their service (hub of marketing and sales tools), and scalable as the company grew. Contrast this with startups that struggle to rebrand later when they realise their name doesn’t resonate with their audience.

Also Read: Beyond the pitch deck: How founders can leverage personal branding for startup success

Mistake three: Overlooking the importance of brand guidelines

The mistake:

Startups often fail to create a comprehensive set of brand guidelines, resulting in inconsistent visuals, language, and tone across different platforms. This inconsistency dilutes the brand’s identity and makes it difficult to build a cohesive brand experience.

How to fix it:

Establish clear brand guidelines from the start. These should include:

• Logo usage rules (size, placement, acceptable variations)
• Color palette and typography standards
• Tone of voice and brand messaging
• Image and graphic style

Example:

Mailchimp, a B2B email marketing company, maintains a highly consistent brand identity across its website, app, and marketing materials. Their brand guidelines emphasize a playful yet professional tone, with clear rules on visual elements. This consistency has played a crucial role in Mailchimp’s brand success.

Mistake four: Focusing only on visuals and ignoring brand voice

The mistake:

Many startups focus heavily on the visual aspects of their brand (logo, colours, etc.) and overlook the importance of a consistent brand voice. Your brand’s voice is how it “speaks” to the audience, and inconsistent tone or language can confuse customers and weaken your brand message.

How to fix it:

Define your brand voice early on. Consider:

• What personality traits should your brand convey? (e.g., formal, friendly, professional, playful)
• What tone should your communications take in various contexts (e.g., emails, social media, customer support)?
• Create a style guide that ensures consistency across all written and verbal communications.

Example:

B2B marketing automation company Drift has a distinct, approachable brand voice that is informal yet professional. Their voice is consistent across blog posts, emails, and even customer support, reinforcing their brand as friendly, accessible, and focused on customer success.

Mistake five: Neglecting to evolve the brand identity over time

The mistake:

Some startups make the mistake of sticking to their original brand identity without revisiting or refining it as the company grows. This static approach can cause your brand to feel outdated, misaligned with evolving business goals, or disconnected from customer expectations.

Also Read: Why startups should prioritise brand reputation from day one

How to fix it:

Your brand identity should evolve as your business and market conditions change. Regularly assess:

• Is your logo still relevant and resonating with your audience?
• Do your mission and vision statements reflect where your company is headed?
• Are there new products or services that require you to refresh your brand identity?

Example:

B2B giant IBM has continuously evolved its brand identity over the years. From a traditional hardware company, it transformed into a modern technology and AI leader, updating its logo, mission, and messaging to align with new market realities.

Conclusion: Build a brand identity that stands the test of time

Developing a strong brand identity is not just about creating a logo or choosing colours. It’s about building a comprehensive, cohesive representation of your company’s purpose, values, and voice that resonates with your audience and evolves as your business grows. By avoiding these common mistakes and following the right steps, your startup can craft a brand identity that sets you up for long-term success.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.

Image credit: Canva Pro

This article was first published on September 10, 2024

The post 5 common mistakes startups make when building their brand identity (and how to fix them) appeared first on e27.

In the fast-growing world of startups, a polished pitch deck is often seen as the golden ticket to securing funding and forging the path to success. But while a compelling presentation can capture investor attention, it’s the founders themselves who breathe life into the vision. This is because, fundamentally, people want to do business with other people.

In today’s competitive landscape, founders who have cultivated a strong personal brand can make a significant difference in attracting talent, securing funding, and building trust with shareholders, investors and potential customers.

Personal branding for founders goes beyond simply having a social media presence. It’s about strategically crafting a narrative that showcases your expertise, story, founder journey, and the unique value that YOU bring to the table. Investors are increasingly looking for founders who possess not just a great idea but also the leadership qualities and experience to turn it into a reality.

A strong personal brand allows founders to establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Social proof is incredibly powerful because it is a way to “show, not tell.” This level of credibility attracts not only investors but also potential employees who are looking to work with an inspiring and authentic leader.

Crafting a strategic narrative

Building a personal brand takes time and consistent effort. Platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter are the best places for founders to position themselves and build a personal brand. There are three keys to success with personal branding on LinkedIn: consistency, content and engagement.

Being consistent with your personal branding is important because it enables you to build a routine that you can follow and capitalise on. Ensure that you are posting at least three times a week; five is recommended. Most personal branders often credit consistency as the key to success because the power of simply showing up every day and creating and delivering output is extremely underrated and undervalued.

Also Read: How to create a great thought leadership article even though you suck at writing

For those who are feeling extra ambitious, contributing to LinkedIn articles within a certain niche – five articles per day – will enable founders to earn “Top Voice” badges, which further cement credibility and status in their network and community.

Balanced content across the funnel

Personal branding content should be balanced across the content funnel. This means that it should consist of a mix from the Top of the Funnel (ToFu), Middle of the Funnel (MoFu), and Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu).

In ToFu posts, you share informative content like blog posts, infographics, and social media snippets that address your target audience’s pain points and introduce them to your brand as a potential solution.

In MoFu posts, you provide more in-depth content like ebooks, webinars, and case studies. This stage is all about showcasing your expertise and establishing yourself as a thought leader.

In BoFu posts, you offer targeted content like product demos, free trials, discovery calls and discounts to convert those leads into loyal customers.

Simply put, think of the content layers this way: awareness interest conversion.

Beyond online

Beyond online forums, attending and speaking at industry events is a great way for founders to connect with a wider audience and showcase their knowledge and passion about their field and their business. Founders should be open to speaking with anyone and take advantage of making high-value connections, ensuring that they then follow up with said connections online.

However, simply putting out content online is not enough. It’s only 50 per cent of the job. The other 50 per cent, and arguably more important, is engagement. While posting high-value content is essential, engaging with those who follow, like or comment on any posts and articles are a great way to expand the founder’s network and grow their following.

Founders should focus on sharing valuable insights and perspectives that can benefit their audience, while also using language that is relatable, authentic and natural.

Also Read: Autistic founders, advocates share their vision of a more inclusive workplace

Authenticity is key

Social media can be a powerful tool for personal branding, but founders need to be strategic in their approach. Authenticity is key. Founders should share their stories, challenges, and even failures in a relatable way. This humanises them and allows them to connect with their audience on a deeper level. Building an online community around the brand fosters a sense of loyalty and excitement, which can be incredibly valuable in the early stages of a startup.

Final thoughts

All in all, while a polished and well-designed pitch deck remains an essential tool to secure funding for a startup and forge the path to growth and success, founders who underestimate the power of personal branding miss out on a golden opportunity.

A strong personal brand can be a game-changer for startups, attracting the right talent, securing crucial funding, and building a loyal customer base. By establishing themselves as thought leaders and engaging with their audience in a genuine way, founders can take their startup ventures beyond just the pitch deck.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page.

Image credit: Canva Pro

This article was first published on July 22, 2024

The post Beyond the pitch deck: How founders can leverage personal branding for startup success appeared first on e27.

The post Soft skills: The secret weapon for entrepreneurial success, a roadmap to turn dreamers into doers appeared first on e27.

In a world where news of layoffs are reported every now and then — be it in newspapers, news channels or on websites — identifying a trend in hiring seems offbeat. Yet, even now as I write this, organisations across the globe are moving towards a new operating framework — one where skills matter.

This is where the role of cross-industry hiring comes into play. Now, who exactly are these individuals, and why are their talents so important to organisations?

Naturally, there is comfort in bringing same-industry professionals into the team, considering they have the required knowledge, understand the rules of the game, and fit right in the ‘business as usual’ ecosystem. However, these aspects can also be problematic in industries facing a rapidly changing landscape.

Fresh perspectives and innovation

Creativity and innovation are the two pillars that companies lean on to thrive. Diversity in an organisation covers more than just gender, faith or color; it also includes diversity in employees’ experience, expertise and strengths across various industries and domains.

Traditional succession plans such as appointing a top executive’s heir apparent or attracting talent from direct competitors may not be the right approach anymore.

As opposed to a same-industry hire, cross-industry talent — from grassroots level to CEOs and CXOs — get you that zest and zeal with their diverse skill sets, experiences, and perspectives from outside the traditional boundaries of a specific industry.

In practice, organisations may employ a combination of both approaches, depending on the nature of the position, industry dynamics, and their specific hiring needs. What should matter the most to employers is the candidate’s ability to perform the job duties effectively, their relevant skills and qualifications, attitude, and potential for growth and contribution to the organisation.

Take the example of Ulf Mark Schneider. The Chief Executive Officer of Nestle was brought in from the European healthcare company, Fresenius, as he aligned with Nestle’s growth strategy to focus more on healthier products.

Also Read: Skill-based hiring vs industry-based hiring: How should one decide?

A survey by Executive Access found that out of the 800 CXO movements seen in 2022 in India, nearly 37 per cent were inter-industry. This indicates that this trend is slowly but surely gaining traction.

Facing growth challenges head-on

With the global economy experiencing constant fluctuations, given the current geopolitical scenario and interest rate hikes by central banks across the world, staying relevant in a job requires continuous upskilling and reskilling.

Take for instance, most of us are on LinkedIn these days — trying to connect with peers from the industry and build a reliable resume for oneself. There are plenty of certificate courses, too, that we see on the feed and people have been taking them to broaden their skill sets — thanks to the time saved from commuting to work during the work-from-home period.

Reskilling not only enhances your resume, but also introduces you to a network of people from diverse backgrounds — essentially preparing you to be a cross-industry hire.

Hiring people based on their transferable skills rather than just their work history, creates a level-playing field in the industry, and helps companies build diverse talent pools.

Cross-industry hires can bring valuable knowledge and best practices from their previous industries. They can introduce new methodologies, technologies, and strategies that have been successful elsewhere. This knowledge transfer can enhance an organisation’s adaptability by introducing new approaches to problem-solving and facilitating the adoption of best practices from other industries. Such a collaborative environment can also lead to increased creativity, improved problem-solving, and the development of valuable professional networks.

It is time for companies to shed the traditional approach and blend in with this new age trend. After all, an industry can thrive when it leverages its candidates who can analyse, understand and use data to give the firm an edge. These skills are increasingly transferable across sectors.

‘Think out of the box’ is a phrase that people often use, but it’s seldom put to use. People are the key to transformation, and as a developing society, we need to look for them in a broader range of settings.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page.

Image credit: Canva Pro

This article was first published on July 26, 2024

The post Look outside, grow upside: The advantage of cross-industry hiring appeared first on e27.

A model like DeepSeek was inevitable. The US ban on Nvidia chips forced China to innovate, and they did. Necessity is the mother of invention. When faced with constraints, people find new ways. This is one such example.

But what are the implications of DeepSeek for the generative AI as a whole? Here are some ways this might affect the industry at large.

Accelerating AI accessibility

DeepSeek doesn’t just maintain the pace of AI development; it accelerates it. By making AI more accessible, it helps reach a broader audience faster. This increased accessibility means more problems can be solved using AI, especially as the cost of AI APIs is projected to decrease by tenfold or more in the next six months.

Higher ROI for big capital spenders

For major players like Meta, Microsoft, Stargate, and XAI, the return on investment (ROI) on capital spent will be higher and realised faster. In just six months, all model developers will be able to present their own versions of DeepSeek, driving API costs down significantly.

Debunking the LLM wall myth

Just weeks before DeepSeek’s debut, there was widespread debate about large language models (LLMs) hitting a wall. The answer is now clear: they didn’t. Scaling can occur across various dimensions—compute at training, compute at inference, networking, algorithmic, data, and capital. DeepSeek exemplifies one such dimension.

Also Read: DeepSeeking the future: The ripple effect on tech, crypto, and global markets

Diverse scaling breakthroughs

Not all new scaling breakthroughs will resemble DeepSeek. Some will be significant step changes, while others will be subtle improvements that may never make headlines. However, each contributes to the overall advancement of AI technology.

China’s role in global tech innovation

China, like the US, has a substantial pool of risk capital dedicated to new tech startups, second only to the US the DeepSeek story should serve as a blueprint for other regions with limited risk capital. However, the real cost of DeepSeek will likely exceed the quoted figure of US$6 million.

Impact on GPT-wrappers and trust issues

DeepSeek enhances the margin story for so-called “GPT-wrappers,” transforming them into higher-margin businesses overnight. As scaling continues, margins will improve further, and the application layer will flourish. However, China, as a software exporter, will continue to face trust issues. Long-term adoption of LLMs from China will be hindered by these trust problems, and DeepSeek won’t change that. For more on the vulnerabilities of LLMs, search for “Sleeper Agent Attack in LLMs.”

In conclusion, DeepSeek represents a significant milestone in AI innovation, driving down costs, improving accessibility, and setting the stage for future advancements. While challenges remain, particularly regarding trust and real costs, the potential benefits are immense. The AI landscape is poised for rapid transformation, and DeepSeek is at the forefront of this exciting journey.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.

Image credit: Canva Pro

The post Second order effects in AI from DeepSeek AI appeared first on e27.