Developing Strong Tech Startup Branding with Brand Soul Searching

What makes tech startup branding great?

Think about it for a minute.

What is it that makes some tech brands so influential, so popular, so memorable, whilst countless other tech startup brands fail to make any kind of impact?

Is it the logo? Would Apple be where they are today without that iconic rainbow-striped apple? Perhaps it could be the brand name, after all, it is the thing that’s most synonymous with a company. The word Microsoft doesn’t make you think about anything other than the tech giant.

The truth is, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Uber, etc. all have one thing in common. They have strong brands because they began with a strong brand foundation. The question then becomes, what exactly is a brand foundation and what is it made up of?

This blog will answer that question and look in detail at each element of a brand foundation.

Creating strong tech startup branding through Brand Soul Searching

The foundation of a brand is composed of three core elements:

Brand Purpose

The first thing you need to know is your brand purpose. Brand purpose is the why. Why are you doing what you’re doing? What impact is it that you want your tech startup to have?

When defining your brand purpose, it’s important not to be generic. It’s all well and good to say your company ‘wants to make the world a better place’, but that doesn’t offer much in terms of direction or focus. A more specific brand purpose will give your organisation and your brand a goal to strive for.

Take into account your target audience. Make sure you know what issues your audience are passionate about, and how you can position your brand purpose to relate better to them.

Apple is a great example of the importance of brand purpose. Apple’s brand purpose was the following:

In the early days of Apple, they looked at the computer market and were unimpressed with the design and ease of use of the products available. They then decided their purpose was to build and sell computers that were beautifully designed and easy to use for anyone, regardless of their computer literacy. Apple’s success is a testament to the importance of brand purpose. In fact, Apple recently became the first company in the world to achieve a $3 trillion market value. Convinced yet?

Brand Vision

Whilst brand purpose focuses entirely on an external component of your tech startup branding, the impact you want the company to have on the outside world, your brand vision is all about your internal motivations. What is your vision for the future of the brand? Where do you think you’re headed?

A brand vision will set the overall direction of your organisation and will define for everyone who comes into contact with your brand, including your employees, what you strive to be and what your ambitions are.

Don’t be afraid to dream big. Be ambitious, visualise exactly what it is you want for your business (within reason of course)

Bill Gates created Microsoft with an incredibly bold vision for his brand; he wanted to see “a computer on every desk, and in every home, running Microsoft software”.

Of course, he didn’t achieve exactly that thanks to competitors like Apple, but his vision for the future drove Microsoft to unimaginable commercial success, and they’ve continued to spearhead innovation in the computer market since their inception in 1975.

Brand Mission

Once you know your brand’s purpose and vision, you can create your brand mission, also known as a mission statement.

Your mission statement is a sentence that succinctly defines your brand’s purpose or reason for being. It is the target at which all plans and programmes should be aimed. It summarises how you’re going to achieve your purpose and your vision. A good mission statement will immediately give those unfamiliar with the business an idea of who you are, whilst simultaneously providing direction and guidance for your business.

Here’s a look at some real mission statement examples from successful tech businesses:

“To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

“To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

“Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

“To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly without barriers.”

“Spread ideas.”

When you’re developing your mission statement, don’t be afraid to look at big brands and the brands in your industry for inspiration, but remember to make your mission statement unique to your company and your brand.

Helping you develop your tech startup branding

If you’re running a tech startup but aren’t clear on what your brand’s purpose, vision and mission are, don’t panic! This is where 3 Colours Rule’s Brand Soul Searching Activity can help you. We help new and developing tech brands get to the bottom of their brand purpose, vision and mission, so they can go forward confident in the knowledge that they have a strong foundation for brand success.

About us
3 Colours Rule is a branding and marketing agency specialising in growing tech companies and start-ups. Beyond our brand strategy, design and marketing services; we also have a podcast: Tech Brains Talk where our founder has conversations with experts and entrepreneurs in tech. We also have a branding and marketing academy to support marketers expand their skills and entrepreneurs too. We also run our non-profit organisation, TLA Black Women In Tech, one of the fastest-growing communities for black female professionals and entrepreneurs in tech.