What’s In A Brand?

Posted on January 7, 2007
Filed Under Branding, External Branding, Internal Branding, Visual Branding |

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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about branding? When someone asks what I do, and I mention that I am in branding, the number one response that I get is “oh you mean like logos and stuff?” The truth is that logos are only a small part of what a brand is.

Branding incorporates everything from visual communication through graphic design to corporate behavior such as customer service policies and marketing strategies. The word brand means to leave a mark - literally to burn a permanent image such as with a hot iron. A successful brand should communicate all of the information associated with a company, product or service. It should represent the company in the marketplace.

Corporations who see the need for this type of representation in the marketplace invest billions of dollars every year in branding. Some spend as much time and money in their branding campaigns as they do their marketing efforts. Successful companies understand that the purpose of their brand is not only to help strategically position their products in the marketplace, but also to help build the relationship between the consumer and their company’s products and services. Think about Nike. People are willing to buy a t-shirt just because it has the patented Nike Swoosh on it. Is the t-shirt made better than any other shirt on the rack? Probably not, but the fact that it has a symbol on it that represents a well known company which is respected for quality and status makes the t-shirt more desirable.

The power of branding is unparalleled and yet is often the most overlooked strategy in an entrepreneur’s or small business owner’s repertoire. Most entrepreneurs and small business owners focus on marketing and sales. Marketing is necessary to create sales opportunities and sales opportunities can turn into dollars, but branding helps create that long lasting relationship that promotes scores of repeat buyers. It is the ongoing revenue generated from the relationship with existing customers that can increase a company’s profit margin exponentially.

Common branding usually consists of a company name, a tagline and a logo. But why stop there?

Not all branding aspects are considered to be marketing advantages or unique selling positions, but if they are true about your company, products or services then they will add value to your brand. Here are five areas of inclusion that will make your brand as effective as possible:

  1. Your Company’s Story – Sharing how your company came to be is a powerful way to demonstrate its stability. Ford Motor Company still displays pictures of Henry Ford on its walls along with the scores of quotes recorded by the founder himself. Sometimes remembering the past is the best way to secure your future.
  2. Your Company’s Attitude – Making sure that every employee, from President to delivery person, shares the same vision for your company will solidify your company as a professional organization. This will brand your company as a business that is strong with integrity, that is reliable and that has it together from one end to the other.
  3. Great Customer Service - If customers know that they are going to be treated well, they will be more willing to purchase from you. Being branded as a company who cares about it’s clients can make you seem like the safest choice when it comes to buying your products and services. Part of Allstate’s brand is “The Good Hands People.” They promote themselves as the insurance company who cares.
  4. Low Prices – Offering the lowest prices is an advantage for obvious reasons. Where most marketers will tell you that you can’t use low prices as an USP, you can use them as a branding statement. Branding yourself as the company with the “lowest prices guaranteed” puts you in the same category as Walmart or Geiko. Both of these companies are successful brands in their prospective markets and both use lower prices as part of their brand.
  5. Better Products And Services – Saying that your company has the best products or services is not enough to guarantee your success, but when you prove it, your company will be branded as the go-to organization for what it is that you are offering. BMW never sells price, they sell a better-built automobile. Being branded this way allows companies to charge a premium for their offerings.

Stepping outside of the box and looking at your company’s brand from all the angles possible will open up a whole world of possibilities. Whether you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur or the leader of a major corporation branding your company beyond the logo is the only way to become branded for success.

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