By Alease McClenningham
Your brand defines who you are and what you do, while also setting you apart from others like you. It emphasizes the unique value that you offer your customers.
It’s the reason they buy from you and not from someone else. Your brand is communicated through everything your business does, from its logo to the products, services and promotions it offers.
Who is your business?
In order to formulate your brand, you have to see how your business is viewed by your potential clients.
Who do they see you as?
What are your beliefs as they perceive them?
It’s useful to think in terms of personal characteristics, even if you’re considering the personality of a company. Just like a person, a business can be brash and bold, or it can be gentle and unassuming. It can be smart, strong, athletic, youthful or conservative.
Know your clients
The most important part of developing your brand is getting to know your clients. Brands don’t actually exist in the objective world. They exist inside the minds of clients.
So, you need to get inside your clients’ heads and understand what they think and how they feel about you.
You need to understand the demographic you cater to, as well as psychological factors such as how they see themselves and how they think about money. You should know their buying habits, which brands they buy from, and how they feel about these brands.
Consistency is key to branding
A good brand is consistent. You should present the same message every time they come into contact with you. Consistency is especially important online where you have many more touch points with your target audience.
Apple is a company that does this well. Their brand communicates that they produce the trendiest, high tech products that improve our lives, and that are clean, simple and easy to use. Their marketing, their products, and their customer service all strive to communicate this message.
All in the mind of your clients
Always remember that a brand is in the clients’ mind, not in the real world. It’s not necessarily what you sell, but what your market perceives it to be. Aim to make positive connections in client’s minds with your business.
This is why people pay so much money for Rolex watches, even today when we all have cell phones that tell time for us. There is still something about a Rolex watch in the buyer’s mind that conveys much more than a timepiece.
It communicates luxury, craftsmanship, and even the culture and history behind the Rolex watch.
This is what you call a GREAT BRAND.
For more information, visit Alease Michelle’s site http://www.aleasemichelle.com