frustrating as it might be, the manufacturer or seller does not control how
customers, potential customers, or the general public perceives a brand.
That said, the manufacturer or seller can certainly help influence how their
brand is perceived.
Your reputation are closely linked. Sometimes customers will form emotional
attachments to specific brands, and they will spend more money to obtain one
brand over another. A strong brand stands out and contains an element that
customers identify with.
Brands contain attributes, and it is through these attributes that a
customer forms a connection to it. For example, the logo may include an
image of a smiling sun, which could remind customers of warmth and summer
fun.
Attributes
Your attributes do not always translate the same way in different cultures
or geographical regions. Keep cultural sensitivity in mind when creating a
tagline or slogan that reinforces your brand. It may not always translate
into foreign markets with the same meaning, and could possibly even
translate negatively.
Brand Identity
Create a face for your business. Graphic continuity is a critical aspect of
brand building. Your identity should be replicated in all facets of the
company's image, such as invoices, letterhead, packaging, uniforms,
advertising, promotional materials, etc. All aspects of your public image
should encompass your professional identity. This means that your company or
product logo, name, color scheme, etc, should be evident in your website, on
your letterhead, in promotional materials, videos, packaging, and ALL
aspects of your business.
Definition
Define it in a way that you want others to see your business. Use a unique
selling proposition to convey the traits you want associated with your
business.
Messaging
We often hear large companies or political candidates talk about staying on
message. Employees at all levels should reinforce the company message. It is
important that all staff members completely understand the image or
"message" that you and your branding department wants portrayed. The brand
message would be evident in all aspects of the business.
Relevance
A brand is not really relevant if it is not part of the purchase process.
Building brand relevance is an ongoing process, and not something that
happens overnight. Brand relevance is all about keeping a brand current and
part of the proliferation of brands in a specific market or industry. A
strong brand will motivate a customer to purchase.
Differentiation
Find out the strengths and weaknesses of competitors. Determine how the
brands of your closest competitors are perceived, and determine how best to
use that information to leverage your company or product brand.
Differentiate a brand to make it distinctive and to distinguish it from the
competition. The absence of brand differentiation can lead to price
competition and low profit margins.
Defend Brand
Use automated tools like Google Alerts and other ego feeds to monitor and
defend your product or companybrand. Marketers should actively participate
in online conversations. In addition, they should register their company in
social networks to protect their brand.
Branded Content
All content should be branded. If executives are speaking at conferences,
their visual presentations should be branded. The website, product
brochures, and any other marketing or promotional materials should all
include brand identifiers.
Rankings for Brand
There is nothing more tragic to a marketer than to discover that a
competitor ranks higher in the search engines for their brand name. You must
OWN-your-brand in the search engines, this means you may have to bid on
terms, and you may have to optimize for your brand.
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