Branding. It’s a bit of a buzzword at the minute. It feels like every man and his dog is talking about things being ‘on brand’ and asking, ‘But does it fit with the brand’. These statements are not only more important than ever but could make or break your business.
Earlier this month, our fellow CLS employee Amanda explained to us the difference between Branding and Marketing, both very important in their own rights. If you’d like to check that out, click here.
In this entry however I want to delve further into what Branding is, why it is so important, and how you can use your branding to leverage more sales, more income, and more goals kicked biz-wise.
What is a brand?
Techtarget defines this brand beautifully.
“A brand is a product, service or concept that is publicly distinguished from other products, services, or concepts so that it can be easily communicated and usually marketed”.
Branding is the process of creating and disseminating the brand name, its qualities and personality.”
In other words, a brand is an identity. It communicates the very essence of what you are trying to sell, teach, or give to your target audience. Which is why it is so incredibly important.
Some examples of the brand perfectly executed
Some well-known brands like Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nike, and Disney have their brand down pat. They have all had tweaks and changes to logos and the like over the years, but what has been consistent is the way people feel about the brand. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t know Nike’s famous slogan ‘Just Do It’ or wouldn’t associate the colours red and white immediately with Coca-Cola. These brands are so well known, that even in writing this article, coca-cola was immediately autocorrected to Coca-Cola.
So, why do these brands do so well? They established their brand, they stuck to key points within that brand, and they made sure that they were instantly recognisable and evoked a feeling within their target audience when they saw part or all of their branding strategy. Often, they are also appealing to a core value within their target audience. The benefit of targeting a core value is that it makes the brand extremely important to that person, even if they are not sure why.
Most people when asked to think of Toyota and what it means will say a car. When asked how it makes them feel, a lot of people will answer with various answers ranging from free, to adventurous, to loyal, reliable, and so on. Are you noticing a pattern here? Toyota has based its entire brand/identity around being a great car that encourages positivity within its target audience. Buy a Toyota and you’re buying a reliable car that will take you on adventures and grant you freedom like never before. Sounds great right? So next time you’re in the market for a car, you’re much more likely to look through the used car lots, or the shiny new car showrooms at Toyota’s first.
The same principle can be applied to almost any brand that you know and love. Think of any small business and then do a 7th level ‘Why’ as to why you enjoy the brand. To do this, simply write the brand name down, and then the first thing that you think of when you ask yourself why you like the brand. Then from that reason, ask yourself why that reason is important. Repeat this up to 7 times and you are almost always bound to wind up on one or more of your core values.
To give you an example; I’m a die-hard Apple fan. Always have been, and always will be. To start on the surface, I ask myself why I like the Apple brand.
1. They are innovative. I ask myself why this is important to me.
2. I like to be up-to-date with technology. Why?
3. Because it is important to my job. Why?
4. Because I need to be able to do my job well. Why?
5. Because I want freedom within my financial situation. Why?
6. Because I want to provide for my family without restrictions. Why?
7. Because I want my family to have the best life they possibly can have.
See what’s happened when I delve deep enough? I’ve gone from just liking Apple because they bring out products regularly to keep up with the market, to NEEDING to have an Apple product to be able to provide my family with a beautiful life. Is this statement true? No, the truth is that I could provide my family with a beautiful life with another brand of a computer system, but it’s how Apple has been able to target and refine their brand that plays on my core value of family that has me buying their products hook, line, and sinker.
No one is immune to this targeted branding approach. Those brands that remain consistent within their core branding strategy are usually those that are the most successful and have been around the longest. Those that deviate from their branding, or try to pivot too much too fast, will gradually be put out to pasture as another failed business venture.
So, my advice when setting up your brand? Take the time to know exactly who it is that you are targeting, what you want them to feel when they look at your brand, and what your brand’s core values are going to be. Because at the end of the day, people will buy from a brand that they resonate with, make them feel good and most importantly, align with their own core values.
If you need assistance in refreshing our brand or creating brand guidelines, reach out to Chrissy and the CLS team; chrissy@creativelittlesoul.com.au.