How Startups Can Build a Brand During the Pandemic
In the midst of a pandemic- how can businesses continue to brand themselves? What ways can startups build a brand during the pandemic?
The IT Company’s Kenneth Herring joined Austin Church in discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the way businesses brand themselves.
Austin Church is in the business of helping businesses and startups refresh their brand in order to stand apart in a world full of marketing noise. Austin began his career working through a marketing agency, continued on to working with IOS Applications and then co-founded a tech startup for independent musicians.
He now runs a Brand Consulting Firm, Balernum. He focuses on branding as a discipline and works with a lot of startup businesses- using his experience and credibility to come alongside founders to build the best brand for their business.
The pandemic has affected a lot of things, undoubtedly. But Austin reminded us that pandemic or no pandemic, these aspects remain the same-
- Starting a business is always full of challenges.
- The future is always unknown.
So now as startups work to build a brand, they not only have these “typical” challenges, but they have the extra dimensions that have come with the pandemic. The best thing that startups, and any organization for that matter, can do is grapple with these challenges head on.
When there is so little we can control in the world right now, the most powerful branding tool right now, is to focus on what you can control. And branding is something you can control right now.
A lot of businesses are discouraged with the selling opportunities right now. The pandemic may have the pool of opportunities slightly smaller than before. But people still have needs. So getting in front of people’s needs and branding yourself to meet their needs is critical.
Whether we are in the midst of a pandemic or not, branding your business is a huge factor in success. Especially as a startup, getting your name and value out there is critical. During the pandemic, focusing on building a brand becomes even more valuable.