…what’s in a name?
The word brand gets thrown around a lot these days, and a lot of confusion is created by use of the terms brand, brand identity, brand management and other branding terms interchangeably when they are all different aspects of branding. However it all shakes out, the bottom line is brand identity is the foundation of a successful marketing strategy.
Brand identity is important to any successful business for several reasons, some of which are:
- prospect awareness – Having a recognizable brand that reflects your product or service will stick around long after a prospect sees your ad, logo or post. They may not be ready to buy now, but when they are your brand will come to mind. In today’s marketplace, you have about three seconds to make an impact. Your brand must be engaging, memorable and a comprehensive reflection of who you are.
- customer loyalty – A well-developed brand identity communicates not just your marketing message but also your customer promise, which resonates on an emotional level. This is how loyalty is formed. And remember, a loyal following attracts new customers too!
- buyer motivation – A brand identity that reflects a superior or niche product and a reliable customer experience will win out over the competition when customers and prospects are weighing the choices.
promarkdirect offers the expertise you need to capture your brand, build your brand identity and establish and manage it in the marketing place. Our team of professionals will work with your company to explore the internal and external components that make up your brand experience and crystallize them into a brand identity that will convey your message in a glance. We will guide you through the process of:
understanding your brand
- What do you think your brand is? What is the value that you bring to your customers? How does your product or customer service experience make them feel? How do you want to be perceived and how do you think you are perceived – do they match?
- What do your customers think your brand is? Ask the same questions you ask yourself to your customers. In some cases the answers don’t match, and there is where the opportunity lies!
- Where do you fit in the marketplace? What are your strengths and weaknesses compared to your competitors? Are you a better value? What makes you different from the rest, and why should a customer or prospect buy from you?
building your brand identity
Once you have determined your brand identity you need to turn it into something that can be communicated. This is basically done utilizing your design elements. We will translate your brand identity into a clear, impactful, engaging representation of who you are by designing the tangibles:
- company name
- colors
- logo
- fonts
- content
- tone
- graphics
- tag lines
- style
establishing your brand in the marketplace
- determine the marketing channel strategy – we will profile your target audience and its segments and determine which channels at what time would be optimal for reaching them.
- develop a comprehensive marketing plan
- promote your brand consistently – whether its direct mail, email, social media or your website, your message must embody your brand identity, be on the right channel at the right time, and be steadily visible.
managing your brand
It’s important to remember that branding is an organic experience, not a task. As your company, products, services, environment and the marketplace change your brand will evolve with it. It’s important to stay in touch, know when things are shifting and either make a correction to your marketing or a development to your brand identity.
promark will do all the essential research and analysis, both within your company and outside, to develop a comprehensive brand concept. We will turn that concept into a brand identity that embodies your company, develop the strategy for communicating your message and manage the execution and ongoing process of an evolving brand.
If you are ready to develop a brand identity, or know that you need to update or rebrand, give us a call or contact us. We’d love to talk about how we can help you stand out from the rest!
