How your brand can help grow your business

How you brand your business is how people recognise you, how they form their opinions of you, how they describe your business to people.

Your brand is much more than just a name and logo, it is the personality of your business.

A brand is your message, your voice, your visual representation, that needs to set you apart from your competitors.

Breaking it down – What exactly is a brand?

Your Logo is the “face” of your business – It’s more than just a unique symbol or picture, it’s associative and gives your audience a way to remember you.

Your Credibility – The consistency of your brand establishes your authority in the marketplace. If the face of your brand is memorable, consistent and reliable, you develop credibility among competitors and trust among customers.

Your Mission – Your company must have a mission statement, something to stand for. You can’t develop your mission statement without first establishing your brand.

Your Reputation – Not only does a trustworthy and credible brand attract new customers, it maintains your current ones. If people leave your business as an advocate, testimonials and word-of-mouth become your most valuable advertising.

But how do you create and maintain a brand?

5 ways to get down to business!

1. Identify and seek to understand your audience, and how they find value in your business.

• Actions:

– Establish the benefits your product or service provides.

– Figure out who has a need for your product or service, and also who is most likely to buy it.

– If you are targeting the same market as your competitors, identify your point of difference to set you apart.

• Benefits:

– Attract the right people to your business.

– Stand out from your competitors.

– Know your target audience inside and out, and how to advertise to them effectively.

2. Develop your message and tone of voice

•  Actions:

• Benefits:

– Build a relationship with your audience so they trust you, believe in your message and engage with your call to action.

3. Create your brand visuals

• Actions:

– Keep your logo, packaging, colours, text and templates consistent across advertising, social media, emails and documents.

• Benefits:

– Using consistent look and feel helps your audience recognise you straight away.

4. Know what to avoid

• Actions:

– Avoid sending mixed messages – Use appropriate language and visuals, and get to the point!

– Don’t copy your competitors – Make sure you stand out!

– Don’t lose consistency – Your brand colours, theme and message should be consistent across all online and offline platforms.

• Benefits:

– Build a brand people know and love – You want them to know you’re the one-stop-shop for the service or product they need.

 

“Stop, see, stay in Rockhampton. You’ll be surprised.”

 

5. Continue to develop your brand over time

• Actions:

– Set a timeframe to reflect on the feedback you’ve received from your audience, as well as the success rate of your marketing campaigns. What worked and what didn’t?

– Use google analytics, comments and social media to see how people feel and talk about you.

– Take the opportunity to survey your customers about what attracted them to your business, what they most value and how could you improve your offering.

– Seek and use customer testimonials to promote your brand and business to others.

– Be flexible to adjust and update your branding as needed…But the key is keeping any changes you make consistent throughout your entire brand.

• Benefits:

– Correct your mistakes, improve your brand identity and maintain your credibility. Make sure people know who you are and what you stand for.