Good branding seems mysterious, unattainable but really, it’s quite simple.
The key is consistency. Branding doesn’t require expensive marketing costs.
What it does require is:
- Your entire team must understand what the “brand” really is
- You must always act in a manner that is consistent with your brand identity and values
What is branding
Many have said that a brand “is a promise to your audience” But what does that really mean?
Branding: refers to all the actions your marketing takes to influence customers, potential customers, and the public at large to see your business in a certain light.
Your brand is composed of your name, logo, the font used in your marketing materials, your brand’s color scheme, more.
It’s everything that goes into the making of your customers perception of your business.
What goes into “good” branding
Good branding happens when you consistently (there’s that word again) use the same name, logo, etc. to the point that brand recognition may occur from the smallest of things.
Every time someone sees your logo or even a color or font that looks like the one you use, they think of your brand.
Even when they hear a certain bar of music (like the McDonalds theme) they know what it is.
- “Just do it”
- “Think different”
- “Have it your way”
- “I’m lovin’ it”
Starting your branding efforts
In the beginning, you only need a few things to start your branding campaign.
- Business name – not too long, should make sense for brand. Spell it the same way every time. It can’t be “MacDonalds” one time and McDonalds” the next.
- Logo – clean design, easy to reproduce, not so busy that consumers find it hard to look at.
- Professional website –that prominently displays your branding along with content that sets customer expectations for your business.
- Color scheme– Don’t send out emails with missing logos or different variations. Pick something and stick with it. If it doesn’t work, then start testing variations to find something better.
There’s also brand positioning to consider.
How brand positioning helps differentiate your business
Branding and brand positioning are similar but different.
Branding is what you use to achieve a particular place in the customer’s/individual’s mind. Your business name, how you use your logo, tagline, etc.
Brand positioning: is the act of identifying your market segment, differentiating yourself from brands, etc.
Some examples:
- Are you a premium business or luxury brand, like a Nordstrom, Apple, or other high-end product.
- Value or discount brand, such as Amazon or Walmart
- High-tech service solution, such as an online payroll services or app
Brand positioning is especially important to your business brand.
It’s one thing to attract prospective customers with content marketing but if they’re the wrong audience for what you offer (wrong target group, wrong income level, not a qualified buyer, etc.) it’s pointless.
You want to use marketing that will help you stand out for a specific group of individuals or businesses that are most likely to gain value from your business. That will create brand awareness that can be converted into sales, website visits, or whatever you’re trying to achieve with your marketing campaign.
Not use a scattershot approach that takes more effort and gives back few returns.
