In an ideal world, taking the time to educate consumers about tea types, flavors, preparation, and storage is critical to learning all the wonderful elements that make your tea the one to buy. You’ve probably done tea tastings, presentations to the local community groups, and blogged mightily. And, you should do all that.

However, branding you as an authority and your company as a credible source is as important as the tea itself. Easily-identifiable logos and dynamic packaging, used consistently across all avenues of promotion, are vital steps in the branding process, however, design is not branding.

Branding is the way you communicate your message, and your message should be: BUY MY TEA. To do that, you have to make a good first impression. Industry analysts say that 90% of all first-time purchases are based on branding, the message that says if you buy this tea, you’ll get a wonderful, delicious tea.

Branding is not so much about products as it is about the experience of using your product. As an analogy, Nike sells sportswear, but its branding message, Just Do It!, implies that, if customers commit, they’ll achieve a positive experience. Nike’s message has worked for more than 33 years, so branding your teas as a positive experience is definitely a worthy objective.

What IS your message? Articulate to yourself what the emotional connection of tea drinking means to you, think about what tea means to your customers, then create your brand messaging accordingly. Some branding experiences could be offering health and wellness; an experience that’s luxurious and exclusive; a product that invigorates the body and calms the mind, or?

Is your brand name easy to remember? Use a name that tells a story. This can open an enormous vault of ideas to tell your brand’s story and draw people in. Blends are particularly adaptable to “what’s the story” copy. The “why” of your selections can be as intriguing as the flavor. Reveal all! And, really take your time thinking of your brand’s name if it doesn’t tell a story. Use rhymes for easy remembering. Avoid the obtuse and obscure (there can only be one Haagen-Dazs, but one never knows, right?) Astonishingly, some folks omit the one word that should always be used: tea.

Does your packaging echo your brand’s message? Is the design or the language too discrete to make a vivid impression or does it communicate it distinctly? Does it draw the customer to pick up the package or ask questions? Is it neat/sloppy, attractive/ugly, awkward/easy to handle?

Educate on the package. There’s no such thing as a 3-5 minute brewing time for every kind of tea but most brands list that and, alas, ruin many a cup of their tea for the consumer. Spell out how to use your teas on the package: quantity of tea per cup, quantity of water, water temperature, and steeping time. If multiple infusions are typical, add that. Don’t want to print a variety of labels? Leave a blank box and either write the directions inside it, or make labels to stick on the package, as appropriate.

Get help for tasks you cannot do yourself. Your job is to be the authority on tea, to answer questions, and share your enthusiasm for your teas and accessories. If you’re a marketing expert, this is perfect for you. If not, ask for help from those with expertise in the fields you need, such as design, branding, marketing, copywriting, or social media promotion.

Test. Test. Test. The design of your logo, packaging, and website are so important to your branding, it’s worth investing both money and time to get it right. Test it at pop-ups or farmers’ markets; ask café or restaurants if you can do some tastings. Go where you believe your ideal customer shops. Ask everyone who stops by what they see (or what they don’t get.) Tweak it until browsers say, “Oh, you’re the people who sell that great tea!”

Remember, everyone is NOT your market. Even though tea is the world’s most popular beverage, after water, you won’t convert everyone to the leaf. More importantly, your brand message might not gel with everyone, so figure out who you want to reach and aim your efforts toward that niche marketing segment.

Reveal what separates you from other brands: Is it your sourcing, such as artisanal, single estate, Fair Trade, organic, or country of origin? Is it a dedication to hand processing of full leaf teas or classic machine CTC processing; hand firing and hand shaping, or unusual blends with herbals, flowers, herbs, or spices? What can customers get from your brand that they cannot get elsewhere? Is pricing your selling point?

Branding doesn’t happen overnight, and there’s so much more to learn. Read books and articles. Keep the lines of communication open with industry professionals and mentors. Subscribe to industry publications and read consumer blogs.

Create an identifiable brand message and keep it alive with continuous exposure. You’ll have fun, you’ll brand yourself and your company as the source of tea joy, and your sales will grow!