WRITTEN BY: VIRGINIA BANE
Branding, what is it? Why is it important? Branding is a trademark or distinctive name or image identifying a product, service or organization. Branding is one of the most important strategies a company or organization can use! It is all about your customer’s experience. It’s not just a logo or a symbol it is about the persona of the company and how the customer’s are treated! What do you want your customers to think about your business? Your branding should put a positive image in the customer’s mind when they think of your business.
Be aware of your brand.
In other words, your brand is the way your customer perceives you. So it is critical to be aware of your brand. In order to be aware of your brand you have to have a strategic plan. A good brand doesn’t just appear out of thin air! It is built with a plan in place. With this plan, you want to be consistent over all mediums. It is important that your brand is positive with in every angle!
Commit to your brand.
In order to keep your branding consistent, you have to commit your company to a message. This message has to be the same and agreed upon throughout the entire company in order to present a united front. You also have to keep up with the times, and regularly review your strategy to make sure it is still presenting your brand in the best light. If you feel that there is something you need to add or tweak to your branding plan then you should revise it and make the changes known to every person in your team.
Don’t overextend your brand.
When it comes to branding it is important to have the right message and to maintain that message even during down times. But another branding tip that a lot of organizations forget to think about is to not overextend the brand. Overextending the brand is the first sign that the organization is out of fresh ideas. For instance if you’re a t-shirt company and you’re successful at making/selling t-shirts then you try to go into producing shoes and you fail at that then that would be an example of trying to over extend your brand. To avoid this outcome, keep your brand concise but to not try to push it into markets or places that they don’t belong. Keep your branding strategic and on the right track. You should never try to put your brand on something that your branding plan didn’t cover in the first place!
In short, branding is crucial when presenting the ideas of the organization to its customers. So remember these important tips when it comes to choosing your branding style for your organization!