Firstly, your brand is not your hostel, it’s the perception of your hostel by your customer. Your brand exists in your customer’s mind with its own identity, personality, and what it ‘stands for’ – like a person. It should be unique, trusted, and appeal to your customer emotionally. After all, 75% of buying decisions are based on emotion.

 

1. Research: Establish Your Brand Message

Brainstorm with your team to evaluate your competition, what you are selling, and to what market. Maybe you offer the best value, the best location, or most chic design? Clarify your vision for the brand, and establish the benefits of your brand over competitors, what makes you unique, and what your ‘Brand Voice’ is. Put together all your ideas then translate it into a Brand Statement – around 25 key words that define who you are and what you promise your customer.

 

2. Strategy

Create your brand character and brief. This includes what you are selling, how you sell it, where you promote it, and to whom you are communicating your brand message. Plan where and when you are advertising, the channels of distribution you use, and all your communications. This requires good design, clear messaging and a well researched marketing mix to match your message with your target audience.

 

3. Design: Creative Branding

Your brand has to be consistent and credible, providing a ‘Reason to Believe’ - your promise for customers. Your logo is the visual foundation of your brand – with your tagline it sets the tone for communicating your brand message. These should then be used through all channels and seen as the architecture of your brand.

 

4. Create an Expectation and Deliver it

From your brand promise, your customers will have expectations of what they will experience when staying at your hostel. Don’t disappoint them! Of course this isn’t always that simple, but you should aim to deliver the experience you’re selling, not a lesser one. Successful big brands, such as MacDonalds or Starbucks are consistent with their product – they always deliver what they say they will, so the expectation is synonymous with the experience.

 

5. Manage your Brand: Be Consistent

Successful brands are consistent with their product and message. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun variation in your advertising and promotion, but make sure your messaging is the same and sells your brand promise. Manage your brand through design and marketing guidelines to make sure you always look your best and represent your brand in the best possible light.