You may think that building a unique brand is only for Fortune 500 companies with enormous budgets, not for your small to medium size business, practice or professional firm. In fact, branding is more than marketing commodities such as chocolate bars, detergents or even coffee.
The purpose of branding is the following:
- First to make sure you and your products and services are known to your target market and your customers.
- Second, most importantly, to make sure you are known by what you want to be known by. In other words, people’s perception is what you want their perception to be.
Here are four strategies to building the brand you want to be known by:
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Identify what sets you apart.
Your brand should be based on something distinctive that differentiates you from the competition. Most likely your product or service is not one-of-a-kind. Figure out and then promote why you customers should choose you rather than a competitor. Do you give them hope, confidence or laughter better than others? Or do you quickly simplify a complex process that saves them time? Or do provide premium customer service like the car repair shop I go to? How can you stand out in the crowded marketplace?
Get all employees on board.
Be sure that every staff person and team, not just marketing or customer service, understand your organization’s brand. How you position your company or practice, whether providing all-in-one service or a no hassle experience or whatever, it won’t work unless all employees reinforce it with their actions every single time. Therefore, educate them about the importance of the brand and how they can support and build it.
Get the customer on board.
If your services are exceptionally good and if the customers are emotionally satisfied, they help in build your brand by giving you repeat business and word-of-mouth publicity. For example, when asked, who do you use for a health care or for legal or financial advice or the place you got that great outfit or whatever, don’t you want them to say you?
Be the champion of the brand.
Make brand building one of your top priorities. Don’t solely delegate it to your marketing department or a public relations firm. Especially in a service business, you and your people are the face and soul of the business. Therefore, always be in the game and on your game. If you’re not, it’s send a message – perhaps one you don’t want. [/message][su_spacer]
Smart Moves Tip:
Keep at it! Building a brand is a long-term process, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel like you are making progress after six or nine months of effort. The key is to reinforce your message through repetition, consistency, and visibility. Also check out Does Your Business Stand Out From the Crowd?
Do you want to create brand evangelists – employees and customers – who not only love your products or service, but go out of their way to tell others how great it to work for and buy from you? Stay tune for an upcoming webinar “Your brand is everything and everything is your brand.”. Let me know your interest.
My Motto Is:
If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got. Therefore, MOVE outside of your comfort zone; that’s where the MAGIC happens.” To bring that magic to your leadership and business, subscribe to Marcia’s monthly Execubrief: Business Edge- Smart Growth Strategies with insights, inspiration and intelligence on how to build great businesses that matter- those that do well and do good.
Did You Know That a New Kind of SMARTS is Needed? 75% of leaders are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle people problems, unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust. – Center for Creative Leadership. Do you want to boost your emotional and social intelligence and be a more effective leader? Let me help you do it!
