3 minutes Early-Stage Startup · Branding
Having a great product with exceptional functionality is simply not enough in the competitive environment in business these days. Creating an identity, something tangible, visible and relatable is of the essence. Branding has become fundamental to the success of any business. Then the question… What is branding?
Almost every Sunday, Jessica would go to the market to buy fruit and vegetables. One sunny Sunday morning, she noticed a stall with a table covered with a red-checkered tablecloth, a bouquet of wildflowers as decoration, and colorful jars of canned fruits and vegetables. As she got closer, she saw white labels on jars with what looked like handwritten inscriptions, naming the fruit and year of harvest. A memory from her childhood dawned on her, when her grandma used to preserve pears in syrup and carefully labeled each jar.
When Jesica returned to reality, she remembered that there had always been stalls with canned fruit and vegetables here. However, they all looked like typical market stalls, nothing remarkable. But this new one immediately caught her attention. After purchasing a few jars of plums and pears, Jessica moved on with her errands.
Jessica’s reaction to the new, personalized and eye catching stall is a perfect example of how utilizing appropriate branding can influence prospective customers.
Launching a startup, we all know the approach through the MVP is well known. Launch the MVP, collect feedback from users, refine the product, and so on (illustration). But when there's stiff competition in the industry, with many players on the market, how do you attract the attention of initial users and investors?
Another approach to product launch is the MLP. With this strategy, the team’s focus is not solely on the product’s basic functions, but also on the user’s perception of and interaction with the product. The MLP approach helps to create an emotional connection with users and attracts the attention of the market. Attractive branding helps increase the reach of potential customers and grow the base of initial users.
Let’s summarize the reasons why most startups should consider branding at an early stage:
Beautiful, unusual things always catch our eye, making us want to stop and take a closer look. Being unappealing comes at a cost.
Speaking about your product in a long-drawn-out and confusing manner means going unnoticed. Working on your branding helps you extract the essence of the product, focus on positioning and make a lasting impression.
Good product design shows that you believe in your success and put effort into the company's appearance.
Design influences HR branding by shaping first impressions, conveying professionalism, and fostering emotional connections, ultimately attracting top talent to the company.
It's worth investing resources wisely into branding at an early stage. Some studios offer packages for early-stage startups, where you can obtain unique and effective branding and a user-friendly, informative website in a short time and at a reasonable price. At Feely, we've developed a process for creating branding and launching marketing websites, which helps to develop an emotional design and enter the market in just a few weeks. A clear indication of how effective branding is utilized to achieve optimal productivity, is visible in our cooperation with Acurast. Acurast approached us for branding and a website at the very beginning of their product launch. And here's what we achieved in just five weeks — Acurast.
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