When we set up Co-ignition we realised that branding was far more than a name and a logo. We had to explain what we do with surgical precision and in language that was simple to understand. If you didn’t get what we were in 10 seconds then we had failed.
We want to ignite the relationship between employers and recruiters through our global crowdsourcing talent platform to make recruitment cheaper, faster and with better quality outcomes for all concerned, because the recruitment process touches nearly everyone in some form or another.
Now all that might sound easy, but the journey for us to get to that statement was a long and hard one. Building the actual platform was difficult enough, but branding the company and knowing we had to create something that would resonate with prospects and clients alike did feel at times like climbing Everest.
To start with, myself and two other people from the company had 15 minutes to draw a picture that illustrated what the company did and what it felt like for our future clients. We drew (badly!) ideas, sparks and brains coming together. We liked the sparks, so then did another exercise to see how we could make it relevant for our audience. We came up with “igniting the recruitment process together”, which evolved into “co-igniting the process”. Hence Co-ignition was born.
On our journey, we have learnt several expensive lessons, the first being marketing. To chose a marketing agency we started with a shortlist of three where we had direct access to the principal of the business, to ensure that we didn’t get passed down to junior people. As a startup, we wanted to harness experienced creative thinking to help us grow a critical mass through our brand with the budget we had.
What we found out very quickly was that none of them understood our products, mind-set, market or anything about Co-ignition. Even though they produced stacks of content and literature, none of it resonated. It lacked passion and came across sounding like consultancy management-speak. What we needed were people who loved our company to build our brand – and that was us.
The second big lesson was websites. Check early on that you can register the “.com” and the “.co.uk”, especially if you are planning on operating outside the UK. Initially we could only get Coignition.co.uk, as the .com is owned by someone in the US who wanted £30k for the domain. So we added the hyphen, which meant we had to change logos, stationary, company names etc. The other point is to check that your company name doesn’t translate to a rude word overseas, or, if you have a hyphen like us, two rude words!
We built our branding by working on the “why” of the business. We want to change the face of recruitment. It is too expensive, takes too long and the process, in many instances, produces the wrong candidates. I would urge anyone to spend at least two weeks articulating the “why” of their company.
Once we understood the “why”, we worked on the “how”. We wanted to reach passive candidates (people who are not looking actively for a job) and make sure employers looking for stars candidates found them.
And finally, comes the easy bit. The “what”. Once we had understood the above, we knew exactly what we were: a global crowdsourcing talent platform that is free to use, faster than traditional methods and delivers better quality.
Branding has to be enshrined in you, and only you and your team can do this. It is an exercise about your heart as much as your head. If it doesn’t make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, then you know you need to keep going.
Your brand should make people you have never met believe in you and your company. What we learned was that if you don’t believe it, then no one else will.
Sign up to become a member of the Guardian Small Business Network here for more advice, insight and best practice direct to your inbox.
