There are signposts ahead. how do you guarantee your customer pays attention to yours?
The Dictionary defines the term “brand” as a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.
Historically, branding started out as an identification mark used on cattle and horses. But as time went on, it evolved to define ownership of a product no matter whether it was livestock or people.
Today branding doesn’t have the same negative overtones it developed in history however, branding is just as important today for identifying ownership of a product as it was in the past. Brands now include companies, not just the products they produce. It’s not unusual for the company name to have as much brand value as the product itself. For example: Clorox is the company and the brand, but Clorox also owns other brands you may have heard of such as, Kingsford Charcoal and Brita water filters.
Walter Landor, founder of Landor Associates says, “Products are created in the factory, Brands are created in the mind.” Good brand identity helps build a good company.
Branding is what the customer thinks about your product, so making a brand identity tangible to the customer is extremely important for a company.
How can you accomplish it?
Finding the right partner is a place to start. Advertising, Marketing and Graphic Design agencies specialize in helping to create effective brands. There are so many ways to reinforce your brand that we can’t even start to cover everything in this short article, so I will try to discuss some of the ways to develop your brand.
Alina Wheeler, author and speaker says; “Brand identity is the visual and verbal expression of a brand.” One of the best ways to develop your brand is the old fashioned “Word of Mouth.” Get your customers to tell everyone they know about your product or service.
Here are a couple of tips you can do right now. One way is simply to ask your customers to tell others about your company. If they are satisfied with your product or service they will probably be happy to do it. How hard is that?
Another way is getting your customers to write testimonials that can be placed on your website or in a brochure. These are just a couple of things you can do on your own to start developing your brand awareness.
Visually reinforcing your brand is another important way to get the customer to remember your brand.
The most important way to start visual reinforcement is to develop your identity. Remember how brands started out? An identification mark used on cattle and horses. Each brand was registered and unique, no one had an identical brand. So creating the right visual identity or mark for your company or product is the most important first step to establish brand ownership. Having a well thought out and registered creative logo provides a tangible visual mark immediately identifiable as your brand.
Tom Watson, former chairman of IBM said, “Good design is good business.”
Brand reinforcement requires understanding and leadership from the top down. If the principals of a company don’t understand their brand, how can they expect their customers to do the same?
All aspects of brand development need to be structured and coherent. Everything should tie back into the look, feel and message of the brand. For example: If your direct mail ties into your website and your brochures visually tie into your direct mail, the television and radio should emulate your company message and all of these should tie into your identity. Remember, the value of your brand is priceless. Solid marketing strengthens your brand value providing consistent and clear messages.
Another important thing to remember about branding, is getting your message across. You must understand your customer and their lifestyle. Research and strategy are essential in brand development.
Strategically, you must have a clear set of goals that produce measurable results. Finding the right marketing partner can help you define your strategy to build your brand. It is a long process that is almost impossible to do alone.
And a final thought, naming your company or product is only part of the branding process. Effective implementation of branding strategies is what makes a brand successful. Remember, your ultimate goal is to sell. Whether it is a product or service, your company can’t remain invisible. Developing your brand and making a lasting impression in the minds of your consumers, can be the life or death of your business.
©2009 Michael Burke
