The Top 5 Branding Mistakes
In a cluttered marketplace your company's brand is the way the outside world perceives your product or service. The concept of branding and the value it provides to a business is often poorly understood. Poor branding is generally reflected in top line sales performance. For example, your potential clients might think you're too small for a job or not technically capable or charge too much. Your Company could be missing out on a lot of business because of poorly executed branding.
In this article I share with you my Top 5 Branding Mistakes. If you have got a good handle on the five branding mistakes below, you are well on your way to maximising business top line performance.
Top Branding Mistake No.1
Focusing on Visual Identify Alone
So many badly trained marketers, designers and consultants focus almost exclusively on the design and logo elements of a brand - with no thought to positioning, brand strategy or buyer psychology. As a result the intangible dimensions are overlooked such as how a business intends on delivering on the expectations set and aligning customer insights with the brand promise.
Top Branding Mistake No.2
No Marketing Story
Brands that have no marketing story struggle to cut through the marketing clutter. The businesses that have successfully created clear brands in the minds of people have done so through telling stories. Your marketing story should describe your uniqueness and demonstrate how your business understands the needs and issues of your target market. This also builds confidence in your brand.
Top Branding Mistake No.3
No Clear Differentiation
One of the objectives of establishing a brand is to demonstrate how your product or service is different to that of competitors. In order to do this effectively, you first need to assess the positioning and branding of competitors. The worst thing you can do is invest a lot of time and money in the branding exercise only to find out that your branding is similar to that of a competitor. It is worth checking the IP Australia Trademark Register to ensure you are not infringing on any existing trademarks (http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/search_index.shtml).
Top Branding Mistake No.4
No Focus on Emotive Triggers
Effective marketing focuses on emotive triggers as opposed to rational promises. Recent published findings in neuroscience indicate that it is emotion, not reason that primarily drives customers' purchasing decisions. Marketer Frank Defino, Jnr explained it nicely when he said: "How your company makes a customer feel, how they believe your values align with theirs and your overall likeability are all integral to creating clients who are highly favorable toward - and attached to - your business."
Top Branding Mistake No.5
Customer Research Not Considered
It is usually pretty clear when customer research has not been considered in the development of a brand. There is plenty of information readily available to help make strategic branding decisions. Customer research answers questions like: "How do people perceive my product, service, or company?" It usually starts with evaluating existing available branding research, client and competitive advertising, and brand name architecture. It is useful when determining target market hot buttons and pain-points and for uncovering marketing mediums primarily used by prospective clients when searching for a company/product like yours.
A brand is so much more than just a corporate logo. Brands are the customer-facing expression of your business strategy. Therefore having a strong brand is extremely important in deciding the fortunes of your business. Brands play a critical role in purchase decision-making. Branding isn't necessarily tangible either. Emotion not reason triggers immediate customer responses. To quote neurologist Donald Kane: "Reason leads to conclusions, emotion leads to action." I encourage you now to review the way you currently manage your brand. What messages are you sending to prospective clients? Have you established a marketing story that resonates with your prospective clients?
If you would like some help developing and implementing a brand strategy that will work for your business, contact brightblue™ marketing now and organise a free consultation. Alternatively, if you would like Scott to perform an audit of your current branding and marketing initiatives, call now on 1300 309 171. At brightblue™ we're re-shaping business.
Scott Tyler - Brightblue MarketingGWP Magazine Issue #27, Nov-Dec 2009
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