Marketing your Brand

What is a brand?

Is it the logo? The colors? The tag line? Those cute photos you had taken?

Yes…and No.

A brand is not something you can create, it is something you have to earn. It is a reputation – and reputation takes time and effort.

Think about it this way…you could create the best looking ‘brand’ (logo, colors, tag lines, photos, etc.) and look like a million-dollar company on your website and social media channels. But if no one is talking about your business, if very few people are paying for your products and services, then all you really have is a pretty picture.

On the other hand…you could have a hand drawn simple logo and not much in the way of a digital presence, but if you provide excellent products and services and there is ‘buzz’ about your business, then people will remember your ‘brand’ and your bottom line will be impressive.

The visual aspects of your brand are a way for people to remember what it is you do or provide. It is an identifying symbol and/or saying that elicits an immediate response and connection to your business. If done well, and backed up by providing a consistent experience, over time your brand will come alive and be “the brand” to purchase.

So why is there so much talk about Branding and Brand Marketing?

The simple answer is because if you can earn a positive brand reputation then you set yourself apart from the competition. When that happens, your brand reputation sells for you 24/7. People will seek out your brand, pay more for your brand, and refer your brand.

Typical marketing is about flooding the market with your visual brand assets, the features and benefits you offer, and even price. Leaving out the emotional side of decision making and targeting the logical side. Which is troublesome because we all know that most decisions start from the emotional side of our brains…not reason.

This erroneous strategy is based on the mindset that when people need something they go ‘shopping’.  Shopping looks something like this for most people:

1. Price Consideration
2. Feature Consideration
3. Brand Consideration

However, if your company has earned a ‘brand’ through consistent experience and reputation, or is seeking to earn this ‘brand’, then the marketing strategy and mindset should be flipped and what is produced needs to look a lot different.

This marketing strategy (Brand Marketing) should focus on the brand promise, the vision and mission of the company, and the core values. The focus of the campaigns are not on price or even features, but rather the experience and outcomes the buyer will receive (and feel). It is targeting the emotional side first, and logical side second (if at all).

Now the buying process looks like this:

1. Brand Consideration
2. Feature Consideration
3. Price Consideration

Think about Lexus, Rolex, or Prada. If people want these brands – they don’t ‘go shopping’ just anywhere. They shop for a Lexus, a Rolex, or a Prada shoe.

I know, I know, you are not Jimmy Choo. But even on a smaller scale…

Kleenex, Coke, HP, Hallmark, Apple. These are all brands that garner our attention when we go to make a purchase.

I don’t look to see how much more Kleenex costs over another brand, or how much more a Hallmark card is (“When you care enough to send the very best”). I don’t compare Coke Zero to Pepsi Zero and buy the cheapest. I don’t look at other computer brands because I know that I like HP – their reputation precedes them. Apple lovers don’t care about the higher price.

When you look at all of these companies marketing you will see that they focus on their brand promise…not their price. They focus on how the product will make you (or others) feel. They focus on the mission behind the company.

So how do you accomplish this?

First, you have to know your mission and vision. You have to understand how to ‘behavioralize’ your core values.

Then you have to define your brand promise, the experience and feeling you want to provide to your clients.

In addition to that you need to clearly define how that is different than your competition.

You need to have a unique market positioning statement based off all of the above.

And most importantly, you have to act accordingly and earn your brand. You need to constantly project your Brand Image across all marketing channels and efforts.

These defining statements and activities will set client/prospects expectations and this alone will help to differentiate you and your business.

Your brand with all the pieces and parts – visual assets, brand promise, vision/mission/core values, brand positioning statement, reputation – provides not only a clear marketing strategy but also becomes the guardrails for your business. These guardrails keep you on mission and don’t allow you or the company to stray too far. It sets the company culture and as you scale gives you clear parameters for hiring and operations.

Ultimately when done right your brand becomes an asset in and of itself.

If I could give business owners one piece of advice it would be this…stop being so concerned about the visual aspects of your brand and getting that ‘perfect’. Start building a solid and positive reputation and the brand will take care of itself.