EP #95 - Fabrice Aeberhard: Building Brands That Last

Timestamps:

0:55 - Branding mistakes Swiss startups make repeatedly

5:56 - Building a brand as a group

10:02 - Steps to creating a strong brand

15:03 - Target client vs your personal startup story

20:14 - Rapid fire questions

The Episode in 60 Seconds:

Getting inspired for your brand

• Building a recognizable brand is like building a character - it can come with its own edges and quirks.
• Your brand is probably not the first thing you need to worry about but if you move beyond the proof of concept phase, you should invest some time into it.
• Get your inspiration from the how, what and why of your company.
• Looking around for inspiration is good but your brand needs to be unique and recognizable, so don’t just copy paste from someone else

Getting real with your brand

• Getting the branding right is important - and hard. If you can, work with specialists in your surroundings - friends, board members, investors...
• Your brand follows your purpose and mission, so make sure to have that defined first.
• Your brand is not just your logo and color palette. Take a holistic approach and include everything from the language you use to how you present yourself in pictures (and of course make sure those pictures are high quality).

5 steps to your first brand set up

• Choose a short, simple name.
• Add some simple and concise messaging (a claim).
• Define your core audience and how you’ll address them with visual, spoken and written language.
• Connect the dots between the three first steps.
• If you can, work with a specialist in the field to fine tune your branding work.