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Your Brand Makes People Feel Something
by Wendy Maynard
Your company brand is an emotional reaction.
Branding is more than product recognition or a simple logo.
It is the overall intellectual and emotional impression
people have when they think of your company and its
product. It is a strong and consistent message about the
value of your business. Branding is a combination of
everything your company uses to present itself. It also
helps to ensure your customers and potential customers
understand why you are different from the competition. You
want to establish a superior benefit with you target
audience that encourages long-term loyalty.
When I mention UPS or Budweiser or Ipod, you most likely
have specific impressions of each business and what they
offer. Corporations spend millions each year reinforcing
their brand. A memorable and trustworthy brand reinforces
customer loyalty. It helps them remember that your business
provides the perfect solution to their problems.
Therefore, to succeed in branding you must understand your
customers' needs and issues. Then, create a positioning
statement and messages that speak to those needs and
issues. Make sure your marketing materials are consistent.
They should have the same colors, fonts, and include your
logo and contact info. And, your marketing materials should
reinforce your company's image and positioning over and
over and over.
Brand building is an ongoing business strategy that has an
easy-to-measure cost in time, money, and effort. Its value,
on the other hand, is harder to establish because it
involves measuring emotional associations that may not
immediately translate into revenue. Branding is an
essential element of success, however, and it should be
reinforced during times when business is booming and when
sales are slower.
You want customers and prospects to maintain a positive
association with your company and its services. You may
also want people to have certain feelings and thoughts that
are associated with your brand. It may be that your company
is fast, dependable, compassionate, fun, state-of-the-art,
or creative. There should be two or three key words that
your brand works to reinforce in your marketing efforts.
Remember, a sound marketing strategy means that you control
the messages you send out through marketing, advertising,
customer service, and your Internet presence. Your
customers WILL have a perception of your company, with or
without your influence. But if you aren't managing your
marketing, then what is their impression?
Branding is not what you say about your company and
products; it's about your customers' perception of your
company and products. To strengthen your brand, make sure
you can answer the following questions: What do you do that
is different from anyone else? Why do you matter to your
customers? If you can't answer these questions, you don't
have an effective brand.See Also:
5 Key Lessons I
Learned From Working at AOL About Creating a Brand for Your Business
After 10 years of forging my career at AOL during their
rise to global dominance, I consider myself corrupted. The
lessons I learned there are seared onto my brain. And,
thankfully so, because I've used everything single one in
building my own business.
Internal Branding:
Delivering Solutions through Employees
The aim of marketing has long been to carry the brand message to the public.
But did you know that your brand is
carried by your people as much as by your marketing?
Brand Building 201: Finding The Ideal Way
The strongest and longest lasting brands branch off of an existing category. Branching takes patience and time. There are two speeds for launching a brand, each one with its own pros and cons.
10 Building Blocks to Becoming a Household Name
In an increasingly challenging market flooded with fierce competitors and extremely savvy consumers, learn how to develop a killer brand that will inspire you, attract loyal customers, and knock out the competition.
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About the Author:
Copyright (c) 2006 Marketing Maven
Wendy Maynard, the Marketing Maven, publishes REMARKABLE
MARKETING, a weekly ezine for business owners, freelancers,
and entrepreneurs. If you're ready to skyrocket your sales
and easily attract customers, subscribe today at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine.html
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