You’ve all heard of branding, and kinda know what it is. But how can it help you? The question is: how can’t it help you?
This will be a five-part article explaining the basics of branding, and how you can start thinking about branding your product (and yourself) that rings out clear to potential customers. It will also help you start thinking of your intellectual property in new, exciting ways.
Part 1: Why Branding is Good, and Branding Insistence.
What is branding? At its roots, branding is nothing more than defining a clear message that allows…
- You, the company, to take control of what you sell
- Your brand to be associated with particular emotions, such as trust or value
- Your product to be instantly recognized and defined
- Your brand to virally passed (and that’s a good thing) from person to person, efficiently
Branding can be thought of the ultimate stamp of approval; a product that can be recognized by all with immediately understood benefits. Branding is not everything, it’s the only thing.
Brand Insistence
Brand Insistence: build the emotional connection.
So, how do you build brand? Review these 5 brand insistence points and then ponder:
- Emotional Connection: Does it convey, at a gut level, what your brand is about?
- Value: Is the perception of value strong?
- Accessibility: Is it convenient to use? Convenient to explain?
- Awareness: Does the perfect customer think of your brand first?
- Relevant Differentiation: HOW IS YOUR BRAND DIFFERENT THAN YOUR COMPETITORS?
There are many metrics you can use for branding, but those are the most practical ones. That’s enough for you now. But let’s give you some fun homework….
- Can you identify your brand on everything you send out – email, packaging, how people explain it’s benefits?
- Do you have a tagline for your brand? “BRAND X: A powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.”
- If you take ten people, would they, in one sentence or less, be able to sum up your product or service to others?
More soon!
- The Guru
