Branding Basics: 3 Things You Should Know About Making Marketing Personal
When you run a small, family-owned business, you know that your ultimate goal is growth. You’re also aware that you have to establish a brand as part of your marketing plan, but this can be an overwhelming prospect, especially while you’re busy trying to get your business established and on solid ground. However, your brand is or will soon become integral to your operations. Here are three things you should know about your brand from the very beginning.
Your brand should get your message across.
Your marketing plan is how you communicate your message across to your customers. Your brand is one of many avenues that let you do this. Your brand consists of everything from your logo and slogan and should quickly and coherently showcase your business personality. One example is Verizon Wireless’s famous “Can You Hear Me Now?” campaign. This simple question was used to flawlessly showcase how Verizon’s wireless service was superior to the competition.
Visually, your brand should incorporate elements that subconsciously put your company into your customers’ minds. A few examples of using color in your message include designing your logo with red for hunger or blue to invoke a sense of calmness. Professional typography and supporting graphics are also crucial.
Branding is an evolving marketing strategy.
Although your brand will help you carve out your spot in the market, it doesn’t have to stay the same throughout the lifecycle of your business. In fact, there are many different reasons that it makes sense to update or renew your company’s brand. This can include anything from adding new technology to recovering from an unfortunate reputation-damaging event. Perhaps the most compelling reason for a branding overhaul is if you began to notice dwindling sales or fewer visits by frequent customers.
Changing your brand does not necessarily mean changing your logo or slogan. As there are many factors that shape the way your customers see you, simply adopting a few new marketing strategies can help. Adding new products or services and strategically positioning for change are excellent ways to bring your brand into a new era without fundamentally altering everything about your business.
To collaborate effectively with your team and to ensure you don’t miss any steps involved in your product’s launch, you can utilize a go to market strategy template. This can detail your sales strategy, how you’ll generate demand, and your target market.
The customer experience is a part of your identity.
Whether you realize it or not, everything about your business is part of your brand. This includes the customer experience. Make a point to ensure that you are reaching the customers that need your product the most. This can be done via a number of avenues, including through your social media. No matter how you reach your customers, make sure that you are always reliable, available, and hold yourself accountable. Meeting your customers in their space is just the beginning of ensuring they have the best experience with your business.
There are many examples of major companies with excellent customer service (HelpScout lists a few of these, including JetBlue, Buffer, and Ritz-Carlton). These companies are so known for their dedication to their clientele that customer service has literally become a selling point in their brand. These and other brands go above and beyond by empowering their employees to bend the rules from time to time, creating a customer-centric work environment, and never losing sight of who actually funds the payroll.
Ultimately, your brand is the culmination of every aspect of your business. From your logo to your customer service strategies, your branding makes business personal, and when you’re a small operation, each person matters.
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