“Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last. If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”
-Howard Schultz
We have entered the year 2020, more than ever consumers like you and I are presented countless options of products and services. The competition is fierce among businesses, so what are the consumers looking like the main differentiator – branding.
Perhaps, about a decade ago you’ve heard PR (now also known as branding) and marketing professionals would have different roles. As the age of consumer awareness emerges, marketing and branding are quickly merged into the crucial aspects of increasing sales and awareness. So, what is branding? Branding is a simple term is who you are and what you represent. What about marketing? Marketing is referring to various tools that push your brand out. Simple, right? Yes, but for every single startup out there that has a limited budget, which one must they focus first? Branding or Marketing?
The answer is pretty much, both. But no one wants to hear that, personally, I would start with the simple branding aspects first.
1. Company’s name, logo, and Slogan
Simply put, you need an idea, the company’s name, logo, and slogan. These are parked under branding and you’ll be using these in all your products and services.
2. Setting Goals and Values
Then, moving forward to goal, mission, objectives and values settings. Sounds pretty simple but actually, in setting these values, you need to actually sit down and think how your values will benefit the company AND your customers in the long term. Note that the values are now part of your branding which now you need to incorporate into your products and services. Customers do not like inconsistency unless it is moving towards improvement.
3. Who are your key targets?
Then, have a look at your target demographics, not only your direct customers but also identify your suppliers, employees, government, media, NGO, local community and business partners. Each one of them can and will affect your branding directly or indirectly. For example, what’s the first thing that you would notice in a restaurant? Most probably the customer service, right? Would you return to the same restaurant if the waiter is rude to you? Probably not. In today’s social media sphere, you can post your negative feedback on your Facebook and your friends will see it and they probably wouldn’t go to the restaurant just because of the rude waiter. So, take all of your primary, secondary and tertiary demographics all into consideration. Hence, that’s where a PR professional comes in.
4. The different perceptions of your products and services.
This is the reality of what branding really is; trust. Each consumer will have different perceptions of your brand. For example: If you sell a high-class clothing line for women, for some consumers they will think your clothing line as too expensive, other consumers will think of your brand as expensive but high quality, other consumers may think that buying your clothing line would give them a status boost and many more different perceptions of your brand.
So, remember, building a brand is like building a personality. When you created a brand, you created a different gut feeling for each of your customers.
So, after all the steps above, you can now decide on a marketing strategy. Tools such as SEO, content marketing, radio, print media, social media marketing, television, and mobile marketing are the key to pushing your brand awareness and of course your products out. This is where your budget comes in.
Your branding is what will contribute to a sustainable relationship with your audience, the consistent branding that can guarantee customers return. Remember, there are thousands of competitors out there who are offering the same (or even better) services than you do. Understanding the importance of branding and marketing will help your business in the long run.