BRANDING…MORE THAN JUST A LOGO
Properly branding your business is one of the most important things you can do to increase the success rate of your business, your business growth and your profitability. Having a strong branding strategy also gives you a competitive advantage over your rivals. All businesses no matter the size should create a strong branding presence for their companies.
Let's start with these questions:
What is your brand?
What does it say about you?
What does it convey to your prospective or current customer?
What can your prospective or current customer expect from you?
Does your branding tell your customer about your company and what type of products or services you have to offer?
Alas, the answer to these questions cannot be answered quickly or haphazardly. There is a lot of time, effort, research and planning needed to arrive at a strategy that differentiates your company from others and makes you recognizable and a trend setter in your industry. A part of creating your company's identity should include how you are going to market to your desired customers and how you will fulfill your customers wants, needs and desires. Your branding strategy is how your ideas come to life. It's how you communicate these ideas to your customers and what vehicle you will use to get there.
Once you have arrived at the answers to what you will be providing, who you will be providing it to, and how you will provide your products or services to your customers, you must determine how you will communicate this information to your desired market. There are many steps to creating your branding strategy. Each must be carefully thought out and planned. Your branding strategy needs to clearly communicate your brand message, both visually and verbally. Your aesthetics must exemplify what you and your company are about and what your customers can expect from you when they see your branding.
Once you have your messaging and your target audience clear, you will need to create your visual attributes. The foundation of your visual aesthetics include a number of items, all of which need careful planning, selection and design. The items you select will serve as tools to communicate your brand messaging to your customers. Once your visual materials are created, they should be shared everywhere.
In closing, once you have done the planning and the research, designed your materials and communicated your message with your chosen market, you must then be true to your brand and most importantly deliver on your commitment. This last step is just as, if not more vital than all of the other steps.
Creating your brand and developing a brand strategy can be a lengthy and complicated process. To ensure that you are making the most of your time, money and efforts, you may want to consider working with a company or organization like HIVE Connex that can assist you with creating the best plan for your business needs.
For more information on Branding/Rebranding Strategy Planning, Business Planning, Coaching, Mentoring and Training, please visit us at www.hiveconnex.com, or email us at hiveconnex@gmail.com.