Branding - What is it?
Branding is a very important aspect of any business, small or large. Developing an effective brand will give you an added advantage over your competition. A brand is your identity that develops a relationship with your customer. It defines your company, value, products and makes you stand out amongst your competitors. Your brand tells your customer about who you are.
The basis of your brand is your company/organization logo or identity. Your logo should be on each and every product you use to promote your business – business cards, website, packaging, social media, letter head and even your product should you be selling one. You should not be shy to communicate your brand. It should be the basis of your company. People associate companies with brand – or logo – so you should promote it as much as possible.
What is a Brand Strategy and How do You Develop It
Your brand is your identity. A strategy is a document you develop on how you promote and communicate your brand. A brand strategy is your plan on how to intend to promote your product, message, company and services. It defines what channels you will use to promote your brand. How you will advertise your company is part of this document as well. Will you just, use a website, will you buy ad space, will you use billboards, any aspect of how should be included in this plan.
Developing, defining and maintaining a strong consistent strategy will help your grow your business. Your customers will start associating you with your brand thereby creating a strong demand and helping you define your company.
How do you Define Your Brand
Defining your brand or developing a strategy can be difficult. Your brand will continue to evolve as you grow your business. So what is involved in defining your brand? There are several factors that should be considered in this process. Key factors can be:
A company vision and/or mission statement;
A list of values associated with your product or service;
The quality and advantage of your product or service;
A company slogan;
Customer testimonials;
Independent reviews of your product or service;
As mentioned above, your brand has to grow with your company. You cannot develop a logo and expect your business to be defined by it if you do not evolve it. Many companies make a mistake where they assume a brand is one time deal and never needs to change. Proof can be seen with major multi-national companies and how they ‘tweak’ there brand as time goes, as there business changes in order to keep their competitive advantage. You too, must evolve your brand as your grow your business.
