Branding for Startups: What to Invest in First

You should know that in 2025, it’s the most common perception to judge a brand by its logo, online presence and overall branding. We see new startups opening every day, which contribute largely to the startup ecosystem of India.

India is the third-largest country in the world to have more than 1.59 lakh startups as per the Press Information Bureau (PIB). But with many startups coming to life, catering to the same pool of customers, how do they keep their brands afloat? What should be the main focus point of startups? Where should they invest to gain more traction, drive awareness and convert to sales? Let’s explore this in detail in this article –

Why is Branding Important for Startups?

You should invest in startup branding as it will help customers create an emotional connection with your brand. Your brand is the foundation of your business. Brand is not only about creating a logo, it’s the set of values, mission and vision of your business.

Startup branding is crucial in the initial stage as it lays the foundation for your brand. It influences your audience, makes them aware of your brand and supports future growth. Good branding can help you stand out from competitors in the market. Your customers will form a deep connection with your brand if your branding foundation is strong. A strong brand will help your business navigate between success and failure. 

Role of Branding in the Success of a Startup

Before we dive into the role of branding in the success of a startup, let’s understand what branding means. Customers have a verbal, visual and emotional presentation of your business through ‘brand’. Customers associate the marketed products with their respective brands.

Your logo, name of the business, colour palette, tone of voice and values define your brand. Branding is not only about delivering what looks good. It is also about delivering clear and consistent messages so that the audience can resonate with them and build trust. Branding has a crucial role to play in the growth and success of a startup. Branding lays a foundation for the future growth of a startup.

You cannot treat branding as an afterthought in the case of startups. It’s the only key to success. Without proper branding, people will not be aware of what you offer. Clear brand differentiation will help your customers understand what you offer and stand for. Strong branding will help you foster loyal connections with customers.

Invest in Building Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is important to get noticed by customers. Brand awareness comes from marketing tactics, partnerships and affiliations. Let’s look at some ways in which you can build brand awareness –

Influencer Partnerships

You can invite influencers in your niche to collaborate. Influencers will create content related to the products/services you are offering to customers. Think of it like paid user-generated content. Since influencers already have a reach to the audience, influencer partnerships help your brand come out in the light. More people can learn about your brand through influencer partnerships. 

Digital Marketing

Startups should invest more in digital marketing. New businesses can employ performance marketing, Search engine marketing and social media marketing to reach a new audience. Tactics like performance marketing will help you achieve measurable results. It drives more conversions, clicks and sales (whichever you are targeting).

Alternatively, startups can invest in content creation. They can upload videos, create engaging marketing material using audio and video content to drive more customers to your website/official platform.

Networking with Other Brands

New startups should be open to networking with other brands in their niche. You can build partnerships with more brands that are in your niche. Through this, you can gain potential customers and traction in the crowded marketplace. 

Implement Feedback Loop

Startups should keep a feedback loop through which they can focus more on improving customer experience. By regularly taking feedback from customers, new and upcoming brands can improve the overall service and customer experience. You can take reviews on Google, social media platforms and other official channels to record customer feedback.

Additionally, new brands should create referral programs and offer product sampling to win customer trust and loyalty. 

Use Case That Works: Which Brands Have Successfully Attracted Customers with the Right Branding

We will not take any prominent names as examples to show how right branding is done. The brands we are showcasing as examples have entered the market recently. The brands cater to a wide audience range, and have good awareness. These brands stand out in the market for providing differentiation from their competitors –

Underneat

The branding of the ‘Underneat’ brand has been fairly simple. Started by a celebrity and influencer, the brand gained traction with more than 2.5 million women. It’s a woman-owned brand serving women and providing premium quality underclothes.

The initial marketing of the brand benefited from the existing customer base of the brand owner. Even with the existing customer base, brands struggle to retain their customers. To overcome this bottleneck, Underneat shares organic user-generated content to their official Instagram handle like stories, reels and posts. It helps other women connect with the brand and resonate with their product. Through this, Underneat promotes positive feedback and reviews from customers. 

Hence, leveraging digital marketing tactics like paid advertising, user-generated content, influencer marketing, and partnerships for a startup’s branding is an excellent tactic to drive business growth. This brand is an accurate example of how startups should focus on branding more than anything in the initial stage. Brands can drive more customer engagement and facilitate meaningful connections with customers.

To Sum Up 

Startups can take their brand to the next level by accurately engaging in branding. Without proper branding of the business, the marketing efforts will be in vain. Brands help customers be aware of their presence in the market even before they launch. This is a common practice for brands looking to make meaningful connections with their customers. 

Creating a compelling brand requires consistent efforts. Discover how you can elevate your brand using our branding services at VerveBranding, a well-known logo design company in India. Reach out to us and book a consultation to help your brand foster a positive relationship with your customers. You can build a professional network for your brand using VerveBranding’s services to facilitate business growth.