One of the important topics that you should know as a digital marketing expert or a person who works in this field is the topic of branding. In this article, I intend to tell you my knowledge in the field of branding and its growth strategies.
What is branding?
Contrary to popular belief, companies don’t sell products. They share experiences, emotions, and ideologies with their audiences. A brand is a company’s identity and story that sets it apart from competitors selling similar products or services. With branding, you can introduce your audience to your business, gain their trust, and ultimately increase your sales. The goal of branding is to carve out a special place in your audience’s mind.
Your brand is arguably one of your organization’s most important assets. It gives your organization an identity, makes your business memorable, and encourages customers to buy from you, supporting your marketing and advertising efforts.
Winners always strive to create a lasting value in the minds of their customers. So, when do you think you can say you’ve achieved value? When you get similar answers to the question “What is the value of our brand and why does it matter?” from both employees and customers.
Of course, you should keep in mind that the metrics you use to measure sales programs will not work in branding. This is a long-term plan and requires your patience in this process.
History of branding
The word brand or brand is derived from the Norwegian word brander, which means to burn and heat. This phrase entered the English dictionary by the Vikings and eventually became popular in the colloquial language.
You may have heard the name of David Acker in the digital world! Known as the father of world branding, Acker is a professor emeritus of the business school and vice president of business consulting and marketing firm Prophet. In his view, you can summarize the value of a brand in three things:
- Brand Awareness: People choose something that is familiar to them.
- Brand Loyalty: It is not easy to satisfy a loyal customer by using other brands.
- Brand Associations: Examples such as name, color, and symbol that remind the consumer of a particular brand; product features, quality, innovation, etc. may be brand associations.
Principles of branding
You can market your products and services better and succeed in business development by using these strategies. Some basic principles of branding include the following, which I will share with you below.
Independence: The first principle of branding, your brand should be independent and distinct from other competitors and brands in its category. You must be able to create a unique brand name to be engraved in the minds of the audience.
Focus: Your brand should focus on its strengths and offer a set of unique features to customers.
Future-proof: What image do you want your brand to create in the minds of customers, employees and competitors? You are responsible for the future of your brand and this shows your commitment to customers, so you cannot set it based on wishes that are far-fetched and unbelievable.
A brand is not just a name; Rather, it is a collection of visual elements, marketing and even slogans and advertisements of your business.
Commitment: You must be committed to your brand. High commitment and focus on providing quality services and products for customers is one of the most important principles of your branding.
5 golden strategies for building a successful brand
Building a brand is not possible overnight and may take years of time and money. But whatever stage you are in, you can take a small step towards the development of your business, but remember that you must take the initial steps of the branding steps correctly.
For this reason, I would like to point out some essential points for the development of branding:
1. Determine your goal:
Every famous and successful brand has a specific road map with it. If you have a clear goal, you will not deviate from the path. In fact, knowing the purpose makes decision-making much easier. Because having a goal, even when there is no idea, helps you find your way and step in the right direction, rather than jumping from one branch to another.
You can set your goals using the SMART method.
2. Determine your target audience:
You need to know your audience’s needs. But accept that you can’t please everyone. A successful business is one that understands and acts on the needs and concerns of its customers. Ask yourself who you want your customer to be and what characteristics and behavioral habits this person has. You need to know what kind of personality your other party has so that you can effectively build a relationship. Then, based on this audience persona, determine your marketing strategies.
3. Match your voice with your business brand:
Humorous or powerful, friendly or serious. This voice should be the same and consistent across all media; so that when a user sees your content or an ad, the personality you have is formed in their mind. In other words, this brand represents your personality in the mind of the audience. Just like when you call your friend from an unknown number and he recognizes us from the voice or can guess to some extent.
4. Provide a visual identity:
Visual identity includes the logo, colors, fonts, and other visual elements of the brand that you must adhere to. From the logo and packaging to the headline and slogan, and other visual essentials that are necessary, but always try not to be satisfied with visual identities.
How to create a brand identity?
Brand identity is the uniqueness of your business in terms of design, content, and how you interact with customers. Here are a few areas where you can bring uniqueness and give your brand an identity.
- Logo and tagline
- Aesthetic style, such as fonts, colors, and images
- User experience and engagement
- Overall tone of communication in your content
- Customer service and support efforts
- How you interact via social
5. Know your brand personality:
A practical solution: Ask yourself or your employees how they would describe your brand if it were a person.
But why use personality in branding? According to David Aaker, brand personality can be the best way to show the benefits and characteristics of a brand. In addition, Aaker believes that copying may be easy; but personality cannot be easily copied. A brand personality can help you find your audience persona. Make sure that your future plans should be based on the brand personality. If you think of your brand as a person with unique personality traits, you can present yourself in a way that allows you to connect on an emotional level with the customers you want to attract. This is important because emotions lead to decisions, including purchases, and ultimately, attraction.
Final Words
A successful branding is a combination of good design, content, and the experience you provide to your customers. Before you start designing and creating content, you need to do proper research and come up with a clear branding strategy. Remember that along the way, people will start to “know” you, which will lead to trust and choosing you.
Have the best branding experience.
Taken from the book: Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles that Drive Succes | digitalmarketry.com
