By Caroline A. Berryman, CMMP — Editor-in-Chief
A recognizable brand is one of the most valuable assets that a company owns. Smaller companies competing against big brands and large marketing budgets need to find ways to stand out and building a strong brand is one way to do that.
Building a brand first requires careful planning and research and you must be clear about what your brand’s purpose is. Understanding and clearly articulating why you exist, what differentiates you, from your competition and why people should care about you.
How do you build a brand?
It’s so much more than a fancy logo or a well-placed ad. A brand is about the consumer’s perception of what your business really is. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” This is so true. You can’t tell people what you are, it’s your customers that tell you what you are.
Brand building requires a strategy to create an image in the marketplace and if the image is positive, your company will stand out and this leads to a brand’s success. Brand building follows a three-step process, brand strategy, brand identity and brand marketing. A strategy lets a brand determine how they are different from their competitors. It’s like having a plan to build a house. You need to start with a foundation. In this case, it includes research, target audience, voice, and the brand’s story.
The brand identity is all about the visuals, messaging, and experience. It’s important that the identity be consistent across all channels to be recognizable and memorable. Think carefully about the logo, colours, fonts at this step.
Brand marketing is the way that businesses can create awareness for their products and services by connecting values and their beliefs to the target audience. It’s all about how they say it in their messaging. Think about your website and make sure the user experience is good. Plan your social marketing to your audience and speak in an authentic voice to them. Being relevant and relatable is important but so is interacting with them.
Building a strong brand identity and awareness builds consumer trust, and that can lead to increased sales and loyalty. This is important because it creates a memorable impression for consumers and shows them what they can expect from your company. It is a way of distinguishing your company from competitors and confirms why your brand is the one to follow.