How Does Branding Help Your Business?

What's in a brand, and why is it important?

Your BRAND is much more than a logo and colors. Its about the perceptions surrounding you and your company. Your brand is something you create as you do business every day.

Branding influences purchasing decisions for customers of every business. But it's not just about expensive agencies and Superbowl ads.


Why Branding is Important

Branding is not just for large consumer products corporations. It's also important for small businesses. A small business doesn't have the budget to hire a big ad agency, but branding can easily be done on a smaller scale.

Branding is important because IMPRESSIONS are critical in a buyer's decision-making process. Some purchases (low involvement) are made on the spur of the moment and others (high involvement) take more time and research. Regardless, the impressions people have about you and your products is working for you (or against you) before the decision is made.

You might offer a similar product to a competitor. But what, in the minds of your prospects, makes you stand out? What makes you better? Why should they choose you over your competitor? Creating a brand that answers that question gives you a clear advantage.

 

Your Brand is MUCH More Than Visuals

Don't make the mistake of thinking that your brand is your logo or other visual representations of your company. And it's more than a statement related to your product or service.

Your logo and your tag line contribute to your brand, but your brand is much more than that. It's the persona of your company. Think of it as everything your company represents. It's more than your products, it's what your product does for your customers and how it makes them feel. It also involves the values your company represents. That's one reason why some companies associate themselves with charitable organizations.

Your Brand From Two Perspectives

It will help you to understand that branding can be considered from two perspectives; yours and that of your customers. There are the impressions you intend to communicate and there are the impressions that live in the minds of the world at large. You control the message that you intend to send, but your customers view you through their own experience with you. It's everything; advertising, shipping, customer service and every other way your customers come in contact with you.

Creating Your Brand

Your job is to determine what your brand is and communicate that through language and visuals. It takes time to discover who you are and what makes you different from and better than your competitors.

Your Brand is Your Promise

You also need to ask yourself this question, "What promises can we make to our customers and consistently deliver?" Customer satisfaction surveys will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses.

You can also discover what general impressions people have about your company. Do people view your company as stuffy? Fun? A community partner?

Find out where you shine and make those promises in both subtle and bold ways. Align your company with other companies that have complementary products and values.

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Want help with your marketing efforts? Find out more about Steve Smart and 2Q Solutions or connect with him on Facebook.