Branding secrets as important as they may be are nothing too big for small businesses. Also, branding is a very key tool for business success. Branding is as big as you can imagine. One of the main pillars of marketing is branding. Branding simply means ‘’creating an impression or making a statement in the hearts of the consumers. According to the business dictionary; Branding is a process that involves creating a unique name and image for a product in the minds of consumers, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme.
Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers. It could also be a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes an organization or product from its rivals in the eye o the customer. Looking at the history of most of the successful companies in the world and in Nigeria, most of their efforts were put into building a brand. If I could give the simplest definition, I would say “Branding is the business in the heart of a consumer”. Branding gives a business a face and identity.
SOME OF THE BRANDING SECRETS FOR NIGERIAN BUSINESSES
Hope you know it is a secret so you don’t have to share. Well, some of the branding secrets are listed below:
1. YOUR BRAND MOST ALIGN WITH YOUR CORE VALUES
: This is where some businesses miss the point. You can’t create a brand out of the moon, whatever your brand is must be in synchronization with your core business ideology and values. If your core ideology or value is “excellent service delivery then your brand should portray such. Simply put, your brand must put out what your company stands for.
2. DON’T BE A BRAND DUPLICATE
: Often times we make the mistake of copying successful companies or industry icons that have set a positive benchmark for whatever business they are into. Well, it is not a bad idea to emulate, but copying limits your chances of uniqueness and standing out. If you must build an outstanding brand, then you must be prepared to stand out amongst your competitors. Copying won’t make you any different from your rivals, especially in the eyes of your intended customers. STAND OUT!!
Read also: 7 brand ideas that will help yield profit
3. HAVE A CLEAR VISION
Planning on what your brand would be like is as good as planning for the entire business because you are literally building a face for your company and as such, you must have a clear picture of what you actually want. The vision will give you a path and road map towards achieving that set goal. The vision must also be broken down into strategies and workable plans.
4. KEEP BRANDING SIMPLE
Businesses make the mistake of making their brands complicated all in the name of giving it a touch of class. Sometimes keeping it simple is the way to go. Customers should not have issues identifying your brand. Most times your brand is beyond your logo or image, it is the attitude and culture the brand carries. Just do well to keep it simple but unique.
5. BE CONSISTENT AND RESILIENT
Staying true to what your brand portrays is another way to go. You have to stick to the script. Also, you must learn to prove yourself under immense pressure. Being able to bounce back after tough challenges makes the brand more imprinted in the hearts of the customers, especially the loyal ones. Sometimes it takes to double your effort to bring back an extinct brand, but in the end, it is always worth it.
6. INVOLVE AND INSPIRE YOUR PEOPLE
: The brand is not just the logo, image, or product, the brand also involves the people. When we talk about corporate culture, it is personality branding. You have to continually inspire your people, get them fully involved. Make them know that beyond the product, how employees treat customers is a key part of a company’s branding policy. In the service industry where there is no product involved, the people become the brand portrait. So giving them that feel that the organizational success is dependent on their actions and disposition, will make them want to prove their worth and put in their best.
7. GET AN OUTSIDE VIEW OR FEEDBACK
When we think we are making waves. It is also good to sit back and find out what the outside world thinks about your brand. You might be overwhelmed by the feedback response. The customers and other stakeholders including competitors’ views should be put in perspective. Having an outside view gives you a better feel of others’ perceptions and views about your brand. You get to know where to improve and better ways to handle your brand.
8. GET HIGHLY CREATIVE
About the visual part of your brand, you have to be as creative as possible, your insignias, logos, images, and pictures should have a touch of perfection and professionalism. Your team or designers should have the needed skills to put out a brand that will be uniquely different and also stand out. Creativity and innovation should be the goal.
Let’s understand that branding is part of corporate values and should be carried on as such. It should go beyond the visuals; it should be a culture that should be lived. And staying true to what your brand stands for should be the goal too.
What Characteristics Define a Powerful Brand?
Being able to offer more than just goods and services but also meaning is what building a powerful brand is all about. In many respects, the foundation of a company’s success is its strong brand, which is the outcome of a successful brand strategy.
What Factors Weaken a Brand?
When a brand cannot articulate its values or cannot justify a price premium for the extra value it provides, it is weak. What causes this to occur? Weak brands typically maintain a low profile, exhibit insecurity, and communicate poorly.
What Is the Most Effective Social Media Platform?
Three of the key websites where content spreads quickly are Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube. So keep an eye out for emerging trends and challenges so you can quickly engage in the fun.
Why Is a Strong Visual Brand Necessary?
Consistent visuals across the brand name, logo, typeface, colors, images, graphics, and videos make up a successful visual brand identity. To ensure the brand is cohesive, each of them needs to be unique while also having elements in common.
What Exactly Is a Lazy Brand?
When reading a brand, go from left to right, up to down, or outside to inside. A letter or symbol is read as a reverse if it is formed in the opposite direction of how it normally appears. A letter is considered to be tumbling when it is partially on its face or back. Lazy letters are those that lie horizontally on their faces or backs.
FAQs
What are 4 methods of branding?
- Company Name Branding. Well-known brands leverage the popularity of their own company names to improve brand recognition.
- Individual Branding.
- Attitude Branding.
- Brand Extension Branding.
- Private-Label Branding.
How is anything branded?
The act of giving anything an identity is known as branding. So, certainly, you can brand everything! People will always assign an identity to your product or business, whether you are a non-government organization, a curated night market, a music festival, a lifestyle product, a performer, or a business.
What makes a brand successful?
It’s far more important to have a clearly defined and well-understood target market. To be meaningful, a brand must “be for someone.” No brand can try to be everything for everyone and hope to be successful. Many professional services firms are reluctant to specify a target audience.
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