Why do you buy Nike, Adidas, ASICS (and other well-known) shoes while having other shoe products in the market? Why having an Apple smartphone is considered to be a status symbol while other smartphone companies are also there in the market? Why do you end up purchasing some products rather than the other similar brands in the market?
Do you know why?
This is because of the brand identity of those products. They are well-known and trustworthy to people. People recognize these brands as worthy enough to what they are paying to purchase them. It is the most important phenomenon for the business to create distinction in the market. Now let's discuss what actually branding is.
What is Branding (Brand Identity)?
Many people consider the brand as a logo. (Maybe you also)
No, branding is not about a logo. The logo just represents the brand identity of a company, brand, or sub-brand. So, what is branding?
"Branding is the unique recognition of you and your product that you offer to your customers." or "Branding is your promise to your customer to assure them about the quality of the product and service that you offer to your customers."
The simple meaning is by creating a brand you explain to your customers how your product and services are going to help them and what they can expect from your products and services.
There are a lot of businesses in the market solving similar problems which the customer have by offering them various products and services, and this is what makes it difficult for any business to sustain in this huge competition. Your brand identity is what differentiates you from the existing competition and makes it your customer easy to recognize you as a quality provider. Trust is the biggest factor to sustain the existing customers and get new ones. When you come up with some unique brand identity and brand values (will discuss them later) and fulfill them, people start to trust you and they perceive you as a promise keeper. But when you do not fulfill the promises that you have made, people will not be going to take care of your brand anymore. So, be a Promise Keeper.
Branding is also the emotional attachment of your customers to you, your company, the products and services you offer to them. Customers can build emotional attachments to certain brands. E.g. the Apple brand is considered a status symbol and people feel proud and delighted by having Apple gadgets. It is because of their deep emotions that Apple has built with its customers.
A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another. -Seth Godin
Building a Brand Identity:
Building your brand identity starts with self-evaluation and coming up with the action steps by knowing that what unique way you will adapt to solve the problem of your customers. Then you come with the actual brand identity by following those action steps by which you are going to communicate with your customers. Your brand communicates with your customer and makes a positive impression on your business. Now, the question arises that what are the essential steps to build a brand identity. So, let's discuss a few of them:
Your Logo: Your Logo is the symbol of recognition to your customers. Your customer can recognize the product easily just by seeing that logo. It is the visual identity of your brand that your customers can see. It is essential as the brand perception can not be made until and unless people start to give attention to a particular symbol, Your Logo.
The quality of your products: No matter how beautiful your logo is, how beautiful infographics, website, designs you have made to showcase your brand. The quality of the product is one of the most important factors you should keep in mind. If you somehow found unable to provide quality things to your customers that you have promised earlier, your customer will not think twice to leave the products.
Your Tagline or slogan: Your tagline is something you use to communicate with your audience. A brand slogan is the advertising tagline that conveys the brand’s spirit in the shortest way possible. E.g. the tagline of Nike is "Just do it."
Your pricing and packaging of the product: You should have fair pricing for the product you are offering. Before launching your product in the market, you should first ensure about the money that you are going to charge in exchange for the products. Make sure the packaging quality of the product is high whenever you deliver your products to your customer. Your packaging is also a key factor that shows how valuable your products and services are. If people love the packaging, they love to keep it for the long time possible.
Where and how you advertise: You should decide to whom, where, and how you will advertise your product.
There is always something unique about every business. What you have to do is to find that uniqueness in your business and build a brand over it. You should always go with the initial motivation that made you start the business. If you are yet to start the business without any prior experience then you should first brainstorm about what you are going to provide to your customers. What is the major problem that you can solve in the market and how?
Other factors like your business name, names of your products and services, you and your employees, their behavior contribute to building your brand. So, it is important to go through these major points before and after launching the products.
This is how a brand is built.
Defining Your Brand Identity:
Customers uniquely recognize the brand. He connects his emotions with the brand and builds trust over it. For that, you have to define your brand properly with your customers that requires some steps to follow.
Your Company's Mission Statement: Mission statement plays a huge role in building brand authority. It is a statement that tells customers about your goal associated with that particular brand (or company). It is the motivation for you to start the business and the customer connects with it. E.g. Nike's brand mission is "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world."
Define Benefits of Your Products and Services: You should define the benefits of the products and services to your customers to gain their attention and further maintain CRM.
Stay consistent: You should be consistent about how you style your brand identity. It includes your logo, your tagline, Imagery, typography, colors, etc. to reinforce the same message. You should be consistent with these things while posting infographics, blogging, or other ways of communicating with your customers. They perceive these things to recognize the brand. Even the packaging of the product should be consistent with all the aspects you use.
What Customers Think of You: This is the biggest factor that you should keep in mind. No matter how much money you spend in building brand identity, marketing, and other expenses, everything is worthless until your customer is satisfied. In the modern technological period, you have a different type of medium available to communicate with your audience where you can ask them what they think of your brand. It is always good to ask your customers rather than someone else as they are the ones who are going to consume your products in the end. In the battle of the market, they are the decision-makers. Based on their opinions and experience, you should always come up with innovation in your brand to meet their requirements.
Ask your audience for the suggestion and what they expect from the brand to deliver?
Final Voice:
"Your brand is your overall reputation." Your brand reflects your whole customer experience with your company:
- The emotions they get to connect with you.
- Their experience with you and your company employees.
- What they love the most about you and many more.
When you can build a strong reputation in the market, you build your brand identity.
Thank you for your valuable time.