Marketing & Branding In the Old West, ranchers would tattoo the logo of the ranch in the hides of their cattle to let other ranchers know who each cow belonged to.
This process was known as “branding”. These days each company does the same through their customer experience, whether they know it or not. Branding properly can make the difference between your firm being mediocre and your company becoming one of the truly great successes of your industry.
Buyers of products and services are interested in the answer to two questions: Will this product or service do what we need? Can we depend on the company that sells it?
The problem is, in order for your customers to be able to answer these questions, they need to know who you are, what you make, believe in your solution, and trust you. They suffer from the FUD factor (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). A brand solves this problem for you. A brand replaces FUD with Comfort, Stability and Confidence.
Your brand will be created whether you want it to or not. It just happens. A great brand, on the other hand, doesn't just happen.
Follow these steps to develop your company's brand:
- Determine the parts of your company that are most likely to come into contact with the prospect and customer base.
- Then develop a comprehensive positioning and messaging strategy (top 3 to 5 messages, elevator test, unique selling proposition (USPs), taglines, etc.)
- How do your customers feel when they purchase and use your product? Volvo sells the promise of safety. Intel promises quality “embedded inside” electronics. Sunkist promises a high-quality agricultural product.
- What is your company promising? If you don't know, ask customers until you get a statistically significant response. Remember that if you are not building the brand yourself, some kind of image will get built anyway, often by your competitors!
- Most people think of a brand as a trademark or logo. In actual fact, a brand has a much broader reach than just some graphics; more than a trademark, it's a “trustmark”, conveying the perception of:
- Rank – customers will only review the top 2 or 3 brands. Aim to dominate in every market in which you choose to compete. If you can't, redefine and narrow the market so that you can, or increase your capacity so you can dominate the market you're in.
- Reliability – the assurance of quality makes selection worry-free. Reputation – the brand you can trust eliminates fear, uncertainty and doubt. In an IDG study which surveyed buyers to see what sources they used to gain information, the top two responses: articles and reviews in magazines and product advertising.
- More and more potential buyers are turning to the web as the ultimate source of information. It's critical that all your marketing communications reflect the consistent messaging laid out in step 1.
- In any messaging medium, the first 10 seconds will either turn people on or off. Romance the intellect and the heart.
- Consistency in messaging cannot be overstated:
- Are all of your ads consistent with your messaging and positioning?
- Does your behavior reinforce the image you want?
- Is all the messaging of your corporate collateral consistent with the messaging and positioning?
- Is your CEO or top brass consistent and “on message” when interviewed?
- Do your trade show booths repeat the messaging?
- Is your web site consistent as far as messaging is concerned?
- Is your staff (not just the sales people, what about the receptionist?) trained in communicating a consistent message?
Get started today on building your brand. It'll be cheaper and more effective to do it today rather than tomorrow. Consistency over time is the key; you'll soon be wondering why every company doesn't build their brand this way. You'll be glad yours did! |
