Our heading is a bold statement but it is very true in the fast paced online world of social media, reviews, blogs and 24/7 lifestyle. You need to create, manage and control your brand. Branding and a brand strategy is vital to your businesses success. If you don’t, your brand will be created for you by your customers (potential customers) sharing, comments and posting imagery of your business.

Branding involves the development and management of your product/ services image while focusing on creating customer value. By developing a strong brand and an effective brand strategy, your business can gain a major advantage in today’s competitive market. Branding involves more than just a logo or slogan – it is a promise to a customer of what exactly they will get when they purchase your product/service. This brand promise can differentiate your product successfully from a competitor’s. It is important to remain consistent and meet customer’s expectations each time, to provide a positive experience.

Consumers today are met with a wide variety of choice. How can your brand stand out? Firstly, getting the basic’s right– creating and developing a brand that will resonate and stand out to the potential customer. Once the brand is created, a brand strategy needs to be implemented to enable you to deliver on this compelling brand promise.

Your brand should be relevant to your target market and remain consistent across all platforms to avoid confusion or diluting the brand promise. While companies should use social media platforms to engage with customers and communicate a clear brand promise, these platforms should also be used to build trust in the brand and avoid over-selling. A strong brand has many benefits to your business including increased customer loyalty, increased margins and sustainable long-term growth.

Important: Technical side, making sure you have your logo in all the different formats at your fingertips i.e. eps, transparent, printing and online. Ask your design to create brand and visual identity guidelines for sharing with third parties who need to implement your logo. This is beneficial to have within your own company as you grow. This will ensure your brand does not get diluted or misused over time.

Interested in branding? Get in touch and ask about our branding workshop. We can help identify and communicate what your brand stands for and market effectively to the right people.