Branding Benefits for Tech Startups
Startups mostly compete against indifference. Why tech founders should build their brand alongside the product, and the two brand strategies that work.
Originally published on The VL Studios blog on May 9, 2019. Lightly edited.
Our belief in brand awareness, strategy and acceleration comes partly from experience: a co-founder of the studio previously led a VR startup.
Throughout development, that team spent nearly a year perfecting the product, but overlooked creating a brand that captured the product, the vision and the company as a whole. They soon discovered that the brand was crucial for capturing the interest of customers and investors. Once the audience could connect with the mission behind the product, awareness and retention followed.
As Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch and a partner at Y Combinator, put it: startups mostly don't compete against each other; they compete against no one caring.
Two brand strategies
Successful tech companies tend to use one of two strategies:
- Product-focused. The brand centers on the quality and specifications of the solution, often for business customers. Microsoft is the classic example.
- Vision-focused. The brand centers on the founder and the future they want to build. Tesla is the obvious example.
Build the brand alongside the product
The product needs to be good, but it doesn't need to be perfect before you build the brand. Brand creation and awareness matter just as much to a product's success. As your customer base grows, keep them in sync with the brand through ongoing brand acceleration, just as you keep debugging and upgrading the product.
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