Marketing your business or brand can be tricky in today’s recovering economy. Consumers are still wary of spending their hard earned dollars; therefore, they are quite cautious when making purchases. One marketing aspect that you should consider to help your company stand out is a unique brand strategy.
Branding is “the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products.” In other words, it is the personality of your offering, as well as your company’s promise to the consumer that you will deliver on their expectations. Your logo, motto, colors, packaging, and promotional items will all consistently present this essence to your consumer. Your brand strategy helps you define when, where, how, what, and to whom you are going to present your messages.
If you have never considered the “personality” of your product or service, then you need to spend some time reflecting on a few key elements before you can begin to create your brand. Review such items as your company’s mission, the benefits and characteristics of your product or service, your current customers’ perceptions of your product or service, and the qualities you want your target audience to associate with your business.
Once you have carefully answered all of the above criteria, then it’s time to put your brand in front of your shoppers. Create a logo, key messages, and tagline that represent the most essential aspects of your company. You must make sure to seamlessly integrate each of these concepts into everything you do from brochures, print media, web pages, packaging, employee attire, etc. The more consistent your company is, the more buy-in you will receive, and the better able you will be to fulfill your customers’ expectations.
Let’s face the facts. No matter how brilliant your branding strategy is, people will not return for future purchases if your offering does not deliver on the consumer expectations you’ve built. Your business must continue to research your clients’ desires, expectations, and reviews of your performance. The more genuine you company’s desire is to meet your consumer’s expectations, the more they will return, and they will probably bring friends back with them.
Successful branding will eventually garner you customer loyalty. Companies with successful branding strategies have built a long-term relationship of mutual trust and respect with their consumer. And that’s how a well- thought out and successfully executed brand strategy drives a profitable business!
-David Rothstein, CEO