Check out some Branding lessons for your business
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 10:09 am
One of the biggest challenges companies face today is getting the right message across (branding) to their consumers and society as a whole. But this is a challenge that arises much more from the demands that the modern world imposes on companies' positioning than from the process itself.
Until a few decades ago, companies had no other concerns than increasing sales and consequently increasing profits. Even those companies that have become giants today and are recognized for being able to add value to their business treated the issue as just another marketing ploy. But everything changed when these same companies understood that they were not just another product on the consumer's shelf, but rather represented something more in people's lives.
What is Branding?
Branding is nothing more than the nomenclature used to define this relationship that companies create with their consumers, making their products or services become more than simple brands, but end up becoming a true synonym for their final results.
Yes, branding is directly related to marketing, as it ends up becoming a great sales driver, both in winning new customers and especially in doing the very important work of retaining them. However, it is important to emphasize that branding involves something deeper than the company and the business as a whole. Branding must come from the company's DNA, and therefore must always guide not only the sales department, but all the company's actions in question.
Analyzing only the power of branding, we can quickly vp safety email lists conclude that there is no reason for a company not to invest in branding. But it is a double-edged sword, and some experts believe that branding can either have the power to make a company a great success or lead the company to failure.
And this happens for a simple reason: the branding process requires the company to make public choices and bear the consequences, in every sense. A quick example: from the moment the company defines a message for a certain group, it may be giving up on all the others, which may end up decreeing its bankruptcy.
Check out some lessons that can help with your business branding:
Actions precede the brand
When we talk about Branding, we automatically think of a brand. But the name, logo, colors or any other form of identification of the company ends up being just a symbol. It should be related to the messages that the company wants to convey to society as a whole, and this forms its identity. Therefore, the first lesson is: don't think that a brilliant name or a creative logo will make your company a reference in its segment.
Remember that the Facebook logo is just a blue square with a lowercase letter f. This would be just an ordinary logo if it weren't linked to a company that managed to innovate and offer a product that, nowadays, is intertwined with the person's own life.
To be able to define an identity for your business, you need to really understand the solution that is being offered to the market. In this case, it is important for entrepreneurs to ask themselves some questions and answer them for themselves:
– What are the main characteristics of the business?
– What problem is your business trying to solve?
– Who is the audience that would be directly interested in the solutions that your business aims to offer? (make an effort here to avoid falling into the trap of answering “for everyone”).
– What are the main differences between your company and your competitors?
The company's speech does not necessarily need to represent the entrepreneur's speech
One of the biggest difficulties that most entrepreneurs who are just starting out end up having when it comes to creating an identity for their own business is directly related to its discourse and the way it will communicate with customers and society as a whole. Care must be taken to ensure that the discourse of the legal entity does not become confused with that of the individual.
Of course, every business tends to reflect a little, sometimes a lot, of the personality of its creators. Even so, it is possible to distance yourself a little, leaving emotions aside, to be able to create the emotions of your own company. An example: Steve Jobs became one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the century by managing to create an identity for Apple, but his personality did not always match the way the company communicated with its customers.
Another even clearer example, continuing in the area of technology. Mark Zuckerberg created the largest social network on the planet, but in real life, at least before he became a big celebrity, he was portrayed as an extremely antisocial person. In other words, the company often ends up creating its own personality, different from its entrepreneurs. If it can make this communication efficient, it becomes a great success.
Branding needs a coherent marketing strategy
Or is it the other way around: does a coherent marketing strategy require branding? In fact, the two go hand in hand within a company. But building a brand really requires care that must permeate all actions. A slip-up in a company's marketing can make consumers realize that all that talk is nothing more than a sales strategy.
For example: if a company's discourse values exclusivity in the sale of a certain range of services to its customers, it cannot fall into the temptation of offering something that is fashionable and that everyone else is doing. Another example: If a company values gender equality in its advertising, it cannot have more men than women on its staff.
All of these precautions help to create the company's branding, but it is important not to forget to do your homework at home. Employees and collaborators must also be aligned with the company's message. Only then will the company's voice truly be heard by everyone.
Until a few decades ago, companies had no other concerns than increasing sales and consequently increasing profits. Even those companies that have become giants today and are recognized for being able to add value to their business treated the issue as just another marketing ploy. But everything changed when these same companies understood that they were not just another product on the consumer's shelf, but rather represented something more in people's lives.
What is Branding?
Branding is nothing more than the nomenclature used to define this relationship that companies create with their consumers, making their products or services become more than simple brands, but end up becoming a true synonym for their final results.
Yes, branding is directly related to marketing, as it ends up becoming a great sales driver, both in winning new customers and especially in doing the very important work of retaining them. However, it is important to emphasize that branding involves something deeper than the company and the business as a whole. Branding must come from the company's DNA, and therefore must always guide not only the sales department, but all the company's actions in question.
Analyzing only the power of branding, we can quickly vp safety email lists conclude that there is no reason for a company not to invest in branding. But it is a double-edged sword, and some experts believe that branding can either have the power to make a company a great success or lead the company to failure.
And this happens for a simple reason: the branding process requires the company to make public choices and bear the consequences, in every sense. A quick example: from the moment the company defines a message for a certain group, it may be giving up on all the others, which may end up decreeing its bankruptcy.
Check out some lessons that can help with your business branding:
Actions precede the brand
When we talk about Branding, we automatically think of a brand. But the name, logo, colors or any other form of identification of the company ends up being just a symbol. It should be related to the messages that the company wants to convey to society as a whole, and this forms its identity. Therefore, the first lesson is: don't think that a brilliant name or a creative logo will make your company a reference in its segment.
Remember that the Facebook logo is just a blue square with a lowercase letter f. This would be just an ordinary logo if it weren't linked to a company that managed to innovate and offer a product that, nowadays, is intertwined with the person's own life.
To be able to define an identity for your business, you need to really understand the solution that is being offered to the market. In this case, it is important for entrepreneurs to ask themselves some questions and answer them for themselves:
– What are the main characteristics of the business?
– What problem is your business trying to solve?
– Who is the audience that would be directly interested in the solutions that your business aims to offer? (make an effort here to avoid falling into the trap of answering “for everyone”).
– What are the main differences between your company and your competitors?
The company's speech does not necessarily need to represent the entrepreneur's speech
One of the biggest difficulties that most entrepreneurs who are just starting out end up having when it comes to creating an identity for their own business is directly related to its discourse and the way it will communicate with customers and society as a whole. Care must be taken to ensure that the discourse of the legal entity does not become confused with that of the individual.
Of course, every business tends to reflect a little, sometimes a lot, of the personality of its creators. Even so, it is possible to distance yourself a little, leaving emotions aside, to be able to create the emotions of your own company. An example: Steve Jobs became one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the century by managing to create an identity for Apple, but his personality did not always match the way the company communicated with its customers.
Another even clearer example, continuing in the area of technology. Mark Zuckerberg created the largest social network on the planet, but in real life, at least before he became a big celebrity, he was portrayed as an extremely antisocial person. In other words, the company often ends up creating its own personality, different from its entrepreneurs. If it can make this communication efficient, it becomes a great success.
Branding needs a coherent marketing strategy
Or is it the other way around: does a coherent marketing strategy require branding? In fact, the two go hand in hand within a company. But building a brand really requires care that must permeate all actions. A slip-up in a company's marketing can make consumers realize that all that talk is nothing more than a sales strategy.
For example: if a company's discourse values exclusivity in the sale of a certain range of services to its customers, it cannot fall into the temptation of offering something that is fashionable and that everyone else is doing. Another example: If a company values gender equality in its advertising, it cannot have more men than women on its staff.
All of these precautions help to create the company's branding, but it is important not to forget to do your homework at home. Employees and collaborators must also be aligned with the company's message. Only then will the company's voice truly be heard by everyone.