Branding
At the start of the New Year, I mentioned that we would be inviting guest bloggers to share their knowledge. Isabelle, Co-founder of Leapzone Strategies is such an expert. A brand expert. Over the next months, hopefully she can answer some of your branding questions and dilemmas.
– Christine
Before answering this question we need to establish what branding is not.
Branding is NOT a logo and it is certainly NOT marketing.
Successful branding is a combination of an authentic promise with a clear, aligned and consistent delivery. Why it is needed is because the promise and delivery are what build trust in your company and increase customer loyalty.
A great brand is earned.
Building a great brand takes time and needs constant attention. What you promise and deliver directly affects your customer’s experience. From the feeling generated by a brochure to a conversation with a customer service rep, each and every encounter a customer has with your brand needs to be considered, evaluated and aligned with who you are as a company and where your company stands in the market.
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At a new media session at CES that I attended last week the panelists cautioned companies to ignore new media (especially blogs and social networks) at their peril. If companies insist on being ostriches with their corporate heads in the sand, they risk losing control of their brand.
Last weeks furore over Tim Horton’s employees and their Facebook antics is a case in point. With over 3,400 members, the “Rules of Ordering and More” group lists 80 or so tips that customers should take to heart if they want good service. Apparently the group is administered by Timmy’s employees unbeknownst to their employer. Its actually quite funny – you should take a read.
Had Tim Hortons (the famous Canadian Donut franchise owned by Pepsico) been monitoring the Internet effectively, the company would have been aware of groups like this much sooner and could have put contingencies in place to protect its brand or HR policies to outline appropriate employee conduct on the Internet. Had it been more proactive it could have channeled the publicity it received last week to its benefit rather than detriment.
Companies cannot ignore web 2.0 technologies any longer. They must, at the very least, be listening to what is being said about them even if they are not ready to be contributing to the conversation: in that way they have a chance at least of maintaining some control over their brand.
For some of us, summer is a quiet time of the year. With all of this free time it’s good to take a step back, take a look at your business and see if your brand needs refreshing. In her recent newsletter, Liz from Market Navigators wrote a great piece about branding and why it’s important to give it close attention. There are 4 key times when a company should consider re-evaluating its brand. Her colleague Rachel Bennett from Frank Branding explains:
- When you want to grow. Your brand is all about differentiation—what makes a customer choose you over someone else. Solid branding helps define what makes you unique. It provides focus, gives staff direction, and simplifies marketing decisions.
- When you’re competing to attract and retain employees. In a tough labour market, a strong brand can create an emotional connection with your employees as well as your customers. Brand strategy provides focus for decision-making, increases employee engagement and retention, and helps you attract the right kind of new talent.
- When you’re looking for funding. A strong brand communicates that you are serious about doing business, have a professional approach, and consider your business market-viable. In addition, a brand can be a corporate asset—the better you are known in the marketplace, the higher the value of your business.
- When your service reputation has slipped. Your customers are your most important promoters. If your reputation has slipped, evaluating your brand promise—the experience customers associate with your brand—offers insight. Once you clearly define it, you can ensure it’s delivered in all customer interactions.
I know that sitting on the beach is quite nice, but while your there take a few minutes to do some brand evaluation.
Still curious about branding? In collaboration with Twin Fish Creative, brand strategist Stephen Abbott outlines some of the aspects of a brand that can get overlooked, and how a little “house cleaning” can make a big difference in your customers’ experience, and ultimately, how they feel about your company.
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Brendan Sinclair, Editor of Sitepoint’s Tribune explains why he finds branding to be one of the most misunderstood aspects of marketing.
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