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First and foremost let us clarify that branding is not a logo! Branding is an internal behaviour and your dialogue with the outside world. Let’s be crystal clear, it’s not what ‘you’ say, it’s what people on the outside see and say about you… so it’s important to connect strategy with creativity in order to actively engage and interact with your customers, building relationships through activities and programs that get people involved.
Here are a few tips to get you going:
1. Information rich and time poor. As a global society we have inadvertently trained our brains to filter out irrelevant information. Remember, specialists beat generalists, so whilst features and benefits (and of course price) are prime factors in any purchasing decision, experiences and a sense of personal identity are even more important. Why do you really matter? Identify your customers’ deeper needs, build a compelling message and deliver it… quickly!
2. Collaborate! Branding often fails when the left and right hand sides of the brain simply don’t meet. The strategic left hand side of the brain deals with analytical, logical, and numerical thinking, whereas the creative right hand side favours intuitive, emotional and visual thinking. Strategy and creativity shouldn’t be strangers! This is where the gap between your business and your customers can become a chasm. If you have a good mix of left and right brainers on your team, collaborate to bridge the gap!
3. To be a leader, you can’t be a follower. It is difficult to separate ourselves from the pack. It takes guts to abandon habits of comfort and reason, without fear of looking stupid for trying something different. However, a little innovation can lead to pure magic… and guess what, you don’t have to do it all at once. People are naturally curious creatures so small, but assertive, steps can lead to a strong and loyal following.
4. Look at the language you use. Eliminate any sense of arrogance or disregard for your customers’ opinion by talking ‘to’ them, not ‘at’ them. Be reassuring, show dedication and validate them as your reason for existing!
5. Work from the outside in, not the inside out. In sending a message out into the world it is not enough to just sit back and hope that it hits target. You need feedback, so start a dialogue… open up avenues for your customers to respond. Make your customers participants in your business evolution.
6. Building brand loyalty. What successful brands do well is make you feel part of their family. Your brand needs to play a role in people’s lives whereby they associate their values with your values. Establish what these are and see where you can better meet them.
7. Cultivate… Both your business and your brand are one living organism, which (in the positive) can grow in stature, however, on the flip side, it can also grow in vulnerability. It is extremely difficult to recover from damaged credibility so be especially careful when making significant changes or launching something new. Ensure that you are 100% ready to go without any possible lapse in product or service quality.
8. Continuity is king. Branding is a process that can be taught, so once you have established your brand ensure that you dissect and document it carefully. This should become your compass to guide everyone involved in your business (from employees to external collaborators), providing uniformity and a meaningful set of goals that makes for excellent customer service. Every lap around the branding circuit will bring you closer to a sustainable competitive advantage.
Karen Brain, Director, Kick3 Ltd
