Consumers are getting smarter and smarter. A good looking logo isn’t enough to convince customers these days. You need to first understand them, then build a brand around them if you want to have a chance at influencing them. Here is a Brand Marketing strategy for you:
What is a brand?
A brand is an entity developed by a business to shape the perception and build the reputation of the business in the market.
What is brand building?
The activities are undertaken by the business to actively shape that perception and to build that reputation.
Building a brand doesn’t happen overnight, it happens over time by communicating a consistent message and then consistently delivering on the promise that message conveys time and again. This is how reputations are built.
The three pillars of brand building
- Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is all about clarity. It’s all about defining: who we are, who we’re for, why they should care, how we’ll show them that we care. Most businesses skip this stage and so their marketing and their advertising lacks this ability to influence (most local companies are guilty)
2. Brand identity
These are your logos, brochures etc. Most businesses have these but the brand identity system is more than a logo. This is about all the visual elements of the business all working in cohesion.
3. Brand marketing
Branding without marketing is like an engine without fuel. You need to get your brand in front of the relevant eyeballs. The message of the brand is delivered to the audience across a variety of touchpoints which include: Social media profiles, websites, advertising, content marketing, videos, email marketing, industry events, seminars, printed material etc.
Importance of brand building
Marketing is not a switch that you can just switch on anytime you want. For any marketing strategy to have success it must be fine-tuned to the brand it represents. The more accurately tuned the branding and marketing are, the more likely it that the right message will be delivered to the right audience with the right method. The following process is used by some of the most successful brands in the world.
Brand building steps
Step 1: Humanise your brand
Build an entity to connect. Most people think that building a brand is building a visually appealing representation of their business. We connect with brands the same way we connect with people. As people we connect with others through the signals they send including their looks, style, traits, behaviour, personality and communication etc. Don’t think of building your brand as building a corporate entity. Think of it as building a human entity designed to connect with other humans
Step 2: Brand purpose, start with why
As people, we are all different but one thing that is common to us all is we believe that we’re all here for a specific purpose. To find your brand purpose identify why the brand exists beyond money.
Step 3: Brand Vision
Define the future band. Use your imagination to imagine what the success of your brand will look like in the future. Get clear on what success looks like and document it in your vision statement. To begin with, the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination so the steps you take are always in the right direction.
Step 4: Brand mission
Outline the brand commitments. Represents the commitments the brand will take to reach its brand vision. The mission of the brand is a commitment to deliver a specific something in a specific way that distils the brand’s philosophy i.e. this is the way we do things here and this is what we’re committed to doing. Get clear on what your brand’s philosophy is and how you would specify your commitments as a brand.
Step 5: Brand Values
Define how you show up. As people, we gravitate towards people who share the same values as us. Brans which show values that are aligned to their customers create a solid foundation or customer relationships. Values have been misused by most brands as a piece of marketing but values are not displayed by our words, they’re displayed by our behaviours. Values should influence business decisions.
Step 6: Segment your market
Identify the market consumers. Markets are groups of people who want/need what the business is offering. When it comes to strategically defining the brand’s plan, the first thing is to identify the market and the segments within it. For example, a detergents manufacturer needs to understand the segments that make up the market of people who are looking for their services. There are different people in the market for detergents and these groups of people may include: cleaning companies, hospitals, domestic users and car washers etc. Each one of those groups is a segment in the market the manufacturer needs to understand before defining who they want to help.
Step 7: Target your market
Identify your ideal customers. Although detergent manufacturers can be able to help everyone, targeting everyone is often a poor strategy. Getting clear on the market segments he’s better placed to target will achieve better traction and results. Once you’ve identified the segments that make up your market, define which group of people you want to target and how and why you may be more relevant to them
Step 8: Competitor research
Analyse the competition. Understand the brands already serving your target audience. Competitor research allows you to analyse the competition to uncover what your competition is doing well and where they are leaving gaps. Many entrepreneurs look at competition as their road map for success, but repetition is not the end goal of competitor analysis. Effective competitor analysis is about uncovering opportunities to be different or more relevant to your target audience wants and needs. So take the time to analyse your competitors to uncover unique ways you can give your target audience something a little different.
Step 9: Position your brand
Define how you’re different. Define the reason you’ll provide your audience to choose your brand over the competition. Your differentiation strategy outlines the unique point of difference your brand offers the market. The more your audience values this difference, the more likely they’re to choose your brand over competitors. When defining your position don’t play it safe. Go all out, be bold and don’t be afraid to ruffle the feathers of your competition.
Step 10: brand Archetypes
Uncover your brand’s personality. Archetypes are a framework of personality types used by brand strategists to build a brand’s personality. To use this framework effectively you must first identify the personality of your audience and align it to the personality most likely to attract your audience. So take the time to understand the 12 personality archetypes, understand where your audience fits and how your brand can align.
Step 11: Brand personality
Create a tangible persona. When you’re ready to bring your brand to life as a walking, talking, charming representation of your business, identify the traits that get your audience in the mood and generously season your messaging with those traits.
Step 12: Brand messaging
Craft a core message and a framework. When your brand gets its chance at the podium, it must have something relevant and enticing to say. This is where most brands get it wrong. They use most of their dollars to look good and then pour money on Facebook ads, but when they are given the chance to speak they have very little to say when it comes to influence. Your core message is not a body of text but a collection of key messages that work together to shape the perception of your brand over multiple touchpoints.
Watch this video to learn more about brand building:
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