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Creating a brand that works Pt1
Developing your Brand's Strategy
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of another.
Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.
The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:
- Deliver the message clearly
- Confirms your credibility
- Connects your target prospects emotionally
To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating your brand strategies through your company at every point of public contact.
Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot.
A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It's a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.
How to define your brand
This is the first step in the process of developing your brand strategy. By defining who your brand is you create the foundation for all other components to build on. Your brand definition will serve as your measuring stick in evaluating any and all marketing materials and strategies. You will begin this process by answering the questions below.
- 1) What products and/or services do you offer? Define the qualities of these services and/or products.
- 2) What are the core values of your products and services? What are the core values of your company?
- 3) What is the mission of your company?
- 4) What does your company specializes in?
- 5) Who is your target market? Who do your products and services attract?
- 6) What is the tagline of your company? What message does your tagline send to your prospects?
- 7) Using the information from the previous steps create a personality or character for your company that represents your products or services. What is the character like? What qualities stand out? Is the personality of your company innovative, creative, energectic, or sophisticated?
- 8) Use the personality that you created in the previous step and build a relationship with your target market that you defined in Step 5. How does that personality react to target audience? What characteristics stand out? Which characteristics and qualities get the attention of your prospects.
- 9) Review the answers to the questions above and create a profile of your brand. Describe the personality or character with words just as if you were writing a biography or personal ad. Be creative.
Tips:
- 1) Be honest with your answers, answer each question thoroughly.
- 2) Focus on your target audience when answering each question.
- 3) Compile each answer in a journal, file or notebook specifically designated to the Brand Development of your company.
Determining your brand's objectives
Critical to effective brand management is the clear definition of the brand's audience and the objectives that the brand needs to achieve.
What are the objectives that you hope to achieve with your brand?
Your brand should be comprised of the company personality, image, core competencies and characteristics. The impressions that you make as well as the words people will use to describe your company to others, are the basic framework of your brand.
With a strong brand you build credibility, have more influence on your market, and motivate customers and clients to purchase from you. If done correctly your company will be looked at as a leader not a follower.
To determine your brand objectives ask yourself the following questions:
- What is it that you want your brand to do for your company?
- What do you want others to know and say about your products or services?
Sample objectives may include:
- Being recognized by receiving a specific award
- Picking up a certain number of choice projects
- Gaining a specific number of new clients in the next year
- Positioning your company as an industry leader in the next five months
You will find that by defining your objectives with specific timelines it is easier to develop a plan of action to achieve those objectives. By defining your objectives you are able to map out a plan on how to achieve those objectives. Say for example your objective is to position your company as an industry leader. How can you go about doing this? You could:
- Have members of your team speak at Trade Shows
- Schedule lectures at professional group gatherings within your industry
- Write and publish articles in newspapers, magazines, or online media
Once you've determined your objectives the next step is to build and develop your brand strategy by listing out how, when, and what you are going to do to accomplish and meet your those brand objectives.
Assignment
Use the questions above to determine your brand objectives. List each objective and map out how you plan to accomplish and succeed in meeting those objectives. Don't stop there! Once you've finished take time to list out what you can do in the this month or this quarter to meet that objective. Be specific and schedule those action items in your business calendar.
About The Author
Laura Schneider has a passion for marketing. She is known for her publicized work with About.com since 1998, she has been featured on TV, Radio, and in many articles (both online and in print) in magazines and publications such as PCMagazine, USA Today, and TechTalk. Many of her articles have been syndicated and publicized over more than 4000 websites
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