Branding

  • Why Do I Need to Brand My Products?

    Why Do I Need to Brand My ProductsThere are literally millions of products on the market today.  What makes yours stand out from the others?  If the answer is nothing, you need to brand your products.

     

    Branding is a way of getting your product in the minds of customers all over the world.  You could walk up to someone in Europe and they would know what Pepsi was.  Or, better yet, ask someone to name a soft drink and they would think of popular brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola.  That is how much we are into those two sodas.

     

    Whatever you are selling, there is someone else selling a variation of that product as well.  What hope do you have of gaining a share of the market?  Your hope is in branding your product. 

    Brand Your Product

    To brand your product, you will need to ask yourself a few questions.  First, what is the business all about?  There must be a reason that drives you to sell your product.  Is it to provide good quality clothing, books or a beauty product to the consumer, then let that be the key to your brand strategy.

     

    All products need a logo.  Without one, that shirt you are trying to sell is just another shirt.  The logo will remind people of your products and also say something about the company’s mission.  For instance, Hanes has branded itself as tagless.  So you could say their mission is to make you more comfortable because there is no tag on their product. 

    Slogan or Tagline

    Do you have a slogan or tagline?  When people relate to Adidas they think, “Impossible is Nothing.”  For Visa, they hear, “More people go with Visa.”  With M & M’s it’s “Chocolate’s Better with M”. Those slogans say something about the product. 

     

    Determine what sets your product apart for others of its kind and play to that strength.  Being unique is difficult in business, but it can be done with a good branding strategy.  The uniqueness will get your product noticed through a marketing campaign.  It won’t benefit your business if you have a good product and no one knows how good it is or can find it.

    Stand Out Among the CompetitionWhy Do I Need to Brand My Products

    Without branding, your products are just one of a hundred or a thousand others on the market.  If you can back up the claims about the product, creating a brand can help you to get it into households and businesses.

     

    Branding your product will make it stand out among the competition.  Branding is not an exact science but it can boost the sales of other lesser-known products in your inventory when your premier product catches on.  In business we are always looking for a way into the inner sanctum of profit, and branding is the beginning. 

    Do you need help with building your brand? Do you need a logo, website development or company identity? Give us a call. We offer a complimentary 30 minute strategy consultation and we know the struggles entrepreneurs face.

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  • Ignite Your Business Branding

    Branding is all about the customer’s perception of your business.  Your brand is the promise that you intend to make to the client.  The ultimate goal is to ignite an emotional connection in order to create a positive feeling from the client. 

     Build Your Brand with Strategize Your Success

    Most clients are loyal to products they enjoy.  It is very common for a client to be impressed with a brand and continue to buy a product based on that brand.  You want to create these feelings of loyalty to bring them back for more.  This is the ultimate goal.

     

    Mission and Vision of Your Business

     

    The mission and vision of your business should sustain excellence in providing a quality product to clients that you care about.  These are statements about your business regarding the ultimate goals you wish to achieve with in your endeavors.  Many businesses focus their vision or mission on their employees while others extend their mission outward to their clientele.  There should be a fine mix here with both. 

     

    Many clients do not read into a vision or mission statement too often.  However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take it seriously.  Your vision and mission are both a part of the branding process because they define what your company is all about.  These two statements need to be believed and practiced by employees and all staff of the business.

     

    Benefits and Features of Your Products or Services

     

    A big part of creating a brand for your business is proving to the client why your products and services are the best to buy.  Highlighting your benefits and what sets you apart is important. Determine what the benefits are with the products you offer, the services you offer, or something else that makes your business unique.  How does the client benefit when they shop or buy from you?  You will have a very hard time establishing a brand if you cannot determine the benefits or your products or services.

     

    The features of your products and services are also important and they go hand in hand with the benefits.  The features of a specific product should provide a benefit.  Determine the features and see what stands out from the rest then use the biggest benefit for your marketing campaign.

      Brand Loyalty


    Customers Perceptions

     

    Branding is about a client’s perception.  When you create a brand you want to create a perception to that client that you are the best and that you provide quality services and products.

     

    It is important to have a good idea of what a potential client might currently think of your business when you are building a branding campaign.  Today prospective clients may not know that you exist or they may have a negative feel for your business because you haven’t been practicing proper methods.  Have a clear understanding on exactly what people think of you.

     

    If you are unsure what people think of you then you may need to send out surveys and questionnaires.  These types of things can help you get a good idea where you stand with the perception of potential client. It’s okay if it’s not positive today.  It will give you something to build on with your branding campaign.

     

    Perception of Quality

     

    The next thing you need to do with a branding campaign is to determine the different qualities that are perceived about your products by the public.  Do you have a good reputation with the consumer world for providing total quality in your products or are your products considered to be garbage and not worth the money?

     

    The qualities of your business may be many things.  When you think about how clients consider the qualities of your business, make sure you consider the products you offer, the customer support you provide, your image, or anything else that would make a client think of quality coming from your business.

     

    The vision and mission statement are very important for every business no matter how big or small.  Make sure that your brand works well and matches what you say you want to deliver.  Determine what the benefits and features of your business are and have a clear picture on this.  You will need this information to provide a clear picture when you focus on developing your brand.

     

    Also learn about what the client really thinks of you.  You might think they absolutely love you when they are really bashing you on the quality of your product.  Knowing what the customer thinks is very important.  Creating a brand based on client input can be successful, especially if you change the design of something for them.  This gives them a sense of ownership and it shows them you really do care.

     

    Now that you have the information that you need for branding go out and ignite excitement about your business and create an irresistible business brand.

    Are you looking to learn more about how to promote your Facebook Business Pages and navigate the in’s and out’s of this truly wonderful business tool. Join us for a new (7) part series called “Navigating Facebook Pages”. This series starts August the 20th at 2:00 PM EST and 11:00 AM MST/PST. Sorry this event has past.

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  • How Can You Reach Your Target Market?

    Gambling Your TimeWhen people set about marketing their business, it can be a big gamble.  If you are putting up money, it can be scary to think that you might not get a good result.  And if you are using free marketing methods, then you are putting up a lot of your time.

     

    Either way, once your time or money has been spent, you cannot retrieve it.  To make the best use of time and money, it is important for any business owner to make sure they are delivering their message to the right target market.

     

    For instance, a business which sells high-end baby clothes is not likely to see a good result from advertising on a frugal mom website.  Yes, moms are in need of baby clothes, but a site catering to moms who are trying to save money isn’t the place for the ad of a business which sells $40 onesies.

     

    So how do you define your target market?  It’s your ideal audience.  These are the people who would be your best type of customer. If you have already generated clients in the past think about which ones worked out the best for your business. These are the ones that you had a connection with and looked forward to working with.

     

    There are also other ways to determine your target market.  One of these is to take a few minutes of quiet time and visualize exactly who is in need, or want, of your product or service.

     Targeting Your Market

    You can also do a search for competing and complementary products or services and take a look at their websites.  When you look at it, who do you feel they are marketing to?  Do you find a similar image to their target market and your own?

     

    Once a business owner begins to target their marketing efforts and has made sure their message is being sent to the right market, they will see a much better return on investment. Take the time and really hone in on who that is for you.

    There really is no sense in putting time and money into marketing if the message is being delivered to the wrong audience.  In fact, it is a big waste!

    At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute Discovery Session. 

     

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  • Branding is an Essential Part of Your Business Identity

    Branding is the process of using logos, taglines, and marketing to get your product or service to become a household name.  We all know how branding works even if we don’t know that we do.  But, is branding a plus for your business or a liability? It is definitely an essential part of your business identity. 
    Nike Branding

     

    When you think of certain products, a picture begins to form in your head.  Take, for instance, Nike.  “Just do it” comes to mind.  That is the result of product branding.  Now, if you hear a brand name and it conjures up an image of poor customer service the last time you called, that is also a result of branding but a negative one.

     

    The big corporations are so big because their marketing included making their products a household name.  They found a product or service that everyone could use and made it indispensable through creative advertising and marketing.  Everywhere anyone looked, they saw something that represented the brand so the product was fresh in their mind.

     

    In this world, a new product is developed practically every day.  Inventors and businesspeople are looking for the next big “thing” to hit the market.  All you have to do is look at companies like Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Disney to know that if you can sell one product reliably, others will follow.  

    coca cola brandingPeople are more likely to buy from you if they can associate your product with a positive brand.  When none of the products have a branded reputation, it is a toss-up.  Customers could pick you or someone else depending on what kind of mood they are in that day.  That is not the kind of business we want to do. 

     

    Branding is a total package for any business and that includes small or home-based businesses.  Giving poor customer service for a product that people will use does not inspire loyalty.  Using a logo that doesn’t really say much about your product won’t steer people to your business, no matter how great a product it might be.  Compatibility and consistency are important when it comes to branding.

     

    On the downside, if even one customer gives you a bad report, it could label your brand with a negative name.  When using branding the business name, logo, stationery, customer service, marketing tools, and finished product have to coincide with your company’s mission and ideals.  Wanting to be known as the “best organic soap on the market” will go down the tubes if you start using additives when demand gets too high.

     

    Branding can be a business’ best friend if done right.  Customers will sing your praises to others and business will increase.  On the other hand, let a part of the branding strategy get sloppy and it could spell disaster for the product or service and your reputation. Make sure your customer identifies with your branding, it’s essential.

    At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. 

    Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute Discovery Session.

    Read more