Building a Brand: The IKS Locksmiths Brand

Click here for the whole Diary of a North London Locksmith series.

So far I have told my story from How I Became a Locksmith to the ups and downs of Starting Out as a Self Employed Locksmith. The next stage was to start building the IKS Locksmiths brand to become established as a trusted London Locksmith. This post tells how I went about that.

How to Build a Locksmith Brand

How to build a brand? That was the question! The first step was to define the IKS Locksmiths brand. As part of the business plan we had taken a detailed look at the strengths of IKS Locksmiths. These were;

• Technical Expertise – as a Qualified Master Locksmith 
• Exceptional Customer service – customers satisfaction is a priority.
• Effective communication – this has always been important to me.
• High Standards – meticulous attention to detail a minimum requirement!
• Local – well known as a local Barnet Locksmith. I do like to meet and get to know people.
• Trustworthy – transparency and honesty is key in the security business.
• Reliable – 24 hour on call emergency locksmith North London
• Competitive pricing – being mobile = low overheads
• Efficient – holding stock and tools to allow jobs to be completed quickly.
• Professional – if something is to be done it should be done properly.
• Enthusiasm and drive – this is how I achieve results on those seemingly impossible jobs.

I knew that to build a brand I needed a great brand logo. The challenge was to portray all the strengths of IKS in a brand logo. A job that was entrusted to a local graphic designer. We wanted the brand logo to say that IKS Locksmiths is a no nonsense, professional, trustworthy company.

Designing the IKS Locksmiths Logo

The designer took a detailed brief and from that offered us a good selection of designs to choose from. The existing logo jumped out at us immediately. Just a few tweaks and colour selections and we had the final IKS brand logo which we are very proud of to this day. We worked closely with the designer to convey our brand vision and were delighted with the results.

A Well Stocked Van for Locksmith Emergencies

By this point I had invested in a van and stocked the van sufficiently to allow lock changes, fitting and replacement jobs to be completed without a trip to the suppliers. Both the size of my van and stock and tools have gradually evolved and increased since then. As I mentioned in my last diary post, I’m a sucker for the latest gadget!

IKS Locksmiths Sign Written Vans

So my logo was put to work with sign writing on my van, business cards printed, uniforms embroidered. I felt like things were really coming together and going in the right direction. This was a time of significant investment however I felt that to build the brand things needed to be done properly.

Reliable Local North London Locksmith

I was gaining more work now as my presence in the area as a reliable local locksmith became known . I was networking with local trusted businesses and was also gaining locksmith work through the Master Locksmith Association website which allows users to search by area. With this my confidence, experience and enthusiasm grew.

Developing the IKS Locksmiths Website

The next stage was developing the website, which is a whole chapter in itself, because as with everything we wanted it done as well as it could be. The next post covers the trials and tribulations of developing the IKS Locksmiths website. In the meantime I would be delighted to hear any questions or comments you may have.

Stay Safe

Martin (The North London Locksmith)

Post updated in 2021