Being successful in business means you need a brand that stands up against the competition and one that stands out from the crowd. Even in our highly brand-conscious times, it’s not always clear what people mean by “branding.” There can be varying emphasis on different elements in the brand strategy, so it’s not surprising that there can be confusion.
In our opinion a strong brand must include most, if not all of the following elements:
A unique look and feel.
A powerful brand message.
A compelling “voice” in which to frame the brand message.
Consistent brand standards, applying to the company’s logo and its placement in marketing materials, a particular color scheme.
Effective integration of branding in a company’s overall operations, including everything from the way a receptionist greets callers to the wording in email signatures, email marketing and promotional materials.
Scroll down as we discuss the true essence of branding and how you can leverage the same to scale your business.
WHAT IS BRANDING?
Scott Cook, the co-found of Intuit, defines branding quite well. According to Cook, “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is.”
In simpler words, branding is how your business is perceived in the eyes of your consumers. It involves all the traits that make a company’s personality unique. It can include a company’s logo, name, and product designs.
As a leading branding company in the UK, we help companies develop a story and branding tailored to the target audience's interests.
HOW TO CARVE A BRAND IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET:
Unless you are selling something totally out of the box and has never been done before, setting yourself out in such a competitive market is challenging.
When creating your unique brand, the one indispensable thing is authenticity. You want to create a brand that resonates with the audience.
And the only way to do that is by integrating a unique persona that highlights the personality of your business and the products you sell. Your focus should be on creating a positive customer experience. If the audience doesn’t positively perceive your brand, it will eventually catch up to the brand’s name in the long run.
While creating your brand, there are certain questions you need answers to:
How do you want the audience to perceive your brand?
Are you happy with the current perception of things? If not, how do you want to change things?
External factors like reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations are often beyond a brand’s control. While it's true that you can’t control how people perceive your brand, you can mould your audience’s experience with your brand positively.
HOW TO LEVERAGE BRANDING IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES
You’ve developed your brand. You are sure about your brand's design elements, logos and visual appeal.
But what about your customers? How do you get your target audience to switch alliances and choose your brand over your competitors?
That’s where subjective storytelling comes into play. As a brand, you want to build your presence based on what your customers would enjoy and connect with. And, sometimes, the storytelling style is subjective to the industry your brand is emerging from.
1. Startups
The USP of a start-up is their room for growth. Despite the oversaturation in the industry, there’s always room for new ideas and unique branding.
That’s the spot you have to find and fit your company in. And the best way to go about that is with ground research. Look around and assess your existing competitors.
Regarding branding, start-up brands need to showcase the power of being bold and innovative. Since you are fresh in the market, carving your brand as people-focused and empowering is enough to attract recurring customers.
2. B2B
When it comes to branding, we think its importance is only focused on “consumer-centric” companies. While that is true, even business-to-business companies need to leverage the power of branding to market their products to their potential consumers.
Branding principles are pretty much the same for B2B companies as they are for a B2C company.
Irrespective of "who you are selling to", there is a person or a team on the other end responsible for deciding whether or not your products or services are worth their time. If your branding isn’t convincing, you are assured that they will go with the next best option.
So, aligning your branding, even for a B2B company, is necessary, despite who the end user is in the equation.
3. Services as a Product
Branding is a lot easier when you are working with a physical product. With a physical product, you can switch logos, introduce various colour schemes and change the degree of “appeal” based on the consumer response.
How do you leverage branding when you are, for example, selling insurance or selling a course?
This industry heavily relies on employees and the power of conversations. Hiring people with customer service experience enables the brands to craft a branding that’s easy to understand and impactful.
The best way to scale your branding is by consistently modifying how you interact with the end user. Branding isn’t always about the “visual appeal”. Sometimes, it's about leveraging a relatable tone of voice and constantly refreshing the branding per market trends.
CONCLUSION
A clear understanding of branding and its implementation directly talks to your consumers. It puts you on the map and makes your business a lot more relatable than that of your competition.
But branding isn’t a one day's work. Stride is a leading branding agency in Belfast, UK, with an enthusiastic team with years of practical experience. Let us remove your worry about branding and turn your company into a better fit in your niche industry.
With Stride, you can create a brand easily recognisable over your sea of noisy competitors. Why wait? Take your first Stride, and let us plan your branding strategies.
For queries and more information, visit https://www.stridedesign.co.uk/contact-us.
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