What is a “Brand “?
Years ago, a brand was associated with a mark burned into an animal to identify it as being owned by a certain farm. It expanded to become the name or picture on retail products sold so the consumer knows who made the item. Over time, the term “branding” has evolved to become a significant “idea”. The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers. So in short, a brand is what you make of something. Who you are. What you sell. You can have a product or service – it can be amazing – but if people don’t have a good impression when hearing your name, they are not likely to buy anything from you. Sure, a pretty package may sell to some, but the most successful items (tangible or intangible) that sell are the ones with a recognizable, trusted, brand name.
Jerry McLaughlin, Contributor to Forbes. com says it best in his article”What is a Brand, Anyway?” that “Put simply, your “brand” is what your prospect thinks of when he or she hears your brand name. It’s everything the public thinks it knows about your name brand offering—both factual (e.g. It comes in a robin’s-egg-blue box), and emotional (e.g. It’s romantic). Your brand name exists objectively; people can see it. It’s fixed. But your brand exists only in someone’s mind.”
Why is Branding Important?
You create a “Brand Name” when you put your item in the market – but the actual “Brand” is emotional perception consumers have when they hear your name. It takes a complete package to begin to implement this wave of emotion – so when you are trying to promote or expand, think further than just your name. Your marketing pieces, down to the color of your logo, the voice behind your social media posts, the layout of your website, the texture of your business cards all need to help put the impression out of the feelings you are trying to emote with your brand. You want to create the right customer experience for your brand. For example you might not want to have a brown for a company that sells frozen yogurt. Brown as a color brings to the mind ideas of strength, security, warmth… not items you would want to come to mind when selling frozen yogurt. Pink would be a much better color to use – pink emotes vitality, brightness, youth, fun.
So when you are ready to Brand yourself, make sure achieve the following:
- You deliver your message of who you are / what you are selling clearly.
- You connect emotionally with your target market.
- You deliver credibility.
- You motivate the consumer to not only like what you have, but PURCHASE it!
- You create brand loyalty for repeat clients.
If you start with a great foundation, with though put in each part of your Brand and your entire marketing program, which supports a quality product or service, then you are setting yourself up for success! Need help getting there? Let us know, you bring the product or service, and we will help you BRAND IT!