Most business owners understand the importance of creating a strong brand presence; the question is, how well do they impact business scaling?
“Branding” is a common term small businesses and start-ups are familiar with. If you’ve had a chance to attend an entrepreneurial conference or listened to a podcast online, you must have probably heard about the term “branding” repeatedly.
So, what’s unique about a strong business brand? Are there any indispensable benefits to it? Will branding set a business apart and give an edge over competitors?
A professional business and marketing expert will answer “yes.” Building strong branding scales business and help them stand out (and above) among competitions. But, first, what is a brand?
People have a contradictory opinion of what a brand is. Branding is the fancy fonts and logos business owners use. But a brand goes beyond that.
A great branding strategy has some of the following attributes:
- Style of design (logo, typography, packaging)
- Marketing and website
- Customer service
- Slogans and taglines
- Pricing
- Product and service quality
- Personalization
Successful brand development does not require millions of dollars but a great deal of research and creativity.
According to the current world richest man, Jeff Bezos, “A brand is other people’s comment about your business when you’re not around.”
It’s basically what customers think and feels about your business.
What Defines A Strong Brand?
A lot of things go into defining a brand, with marketing, philosophy and brand message being a critical part.
One magical step does not describe the quality of a brand, it’s an aggregate of amazing qualities.
Giant companies today have lots of branding features that separate them from others.
So what should business owners embrace the act of building a strong brand and branding it? Let’s find out in this detailed article.
1. Brand recognition
The power of familiarity can never be underestimated. A customer shopping through boatloads of items will quickly choose an identifiable product with brand recognition like color, image or logo, over other pools of brandless products surrounding them. Why? Because they gain attention and catch the eye when they are familiar.
With an eye-popping image, users won’t blink another eye before choosing a strong branded company.
2. Customer loyalty
Once a brand gains customer recognition and becomes their go-to, branding allows the business to build more clientele. A business that builds a strong brand (quality reputation) combined with incredible products with strong branding will have its customers coming back for more.
3. Help Maintain A Consistent Marketing
Once you set your branding strategy right – marketing, philosophy, website, typography, etc – you can start modelling your efforts after them. Once the foundation is put into place, you can start building on it, which is easier.
4. Branding Maximizes Exposure of New Product Launched
When a branded company is advertising the launch of a new product, many people are always ready to see what’s actually on the ground since they’re already familiar with the company.
A huge benefit of a strong brand is that it helps to generate interest in new products and services. People will be automatically interested because they’re already familiar with a brand. So if you bring us a new flavor, product, or service, a strong brand and familiar company branding will help launch it!
5. Increases Credibility
When a business has solid, quality branding that represents its brand, it increases that company’s credibility within its industry, as well as with customers.
Innovative marketing paired up with phenomenal customer service and interesting visuals will establish a company as a serious professional business.
6. Attracts Talent
When a business has great branding, people notice. And often, those people who are noticing are very talented influencers, social media marketers, website designers, or concept builders. When a business is doing an excellent job with branding, this calibre of thinker often wants to be a part of what that business is doing. And when a company allows people like this in, they’re adding to their creative powerhouse.
7. Allows Shared Values
When a company connects with its customers through shared values, it can create loyalty for life, and can even go into future generations.
Take Nike shoes, for instance. Their shoes are very nice, but the main thing that this brand is known for is their donation of one pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair that’s sold. This is a great example of branding that transfers over the generations because parents strive to teach their children to give.
Harnessing a shared emotional connection between company and customer is one of the key points of branding.
8. Gives Confidence
Here’s a nice one: good branding not only gives confidence to the customer, but it also does a lot for the actual business owner. With great branding, all of the energy, time, money, and work that has gone into a company comes together as a complete and professional presentation.
Branding exists to further the original product or service. It pushes it forward by grabbing the public’s eye and making them pay attention. Good branding is for the public, but it’s also for the business owner to appreciate what they have created and built.
Make Sure All The Bases Are Covered. As you can see, great branding does quite a lot more for a business than just making it look pretty.
When done properly, strong branding can advance a business further than the owners ever thought possible.
Summary
Branding is a critical aspect of every business which most business owners are not taking seriously.
If you’re a business owner who is looking to progress your company with strategic branding, be sure you’re covering every area so that you’re not missing out on any opportunities.
That’s where you need professional advice from a professional and someone who understands the nitty-gritty of business branding. A professional marketer understands the necessary steps business owners need to take to utilize the underlying benefits of branding.