In part one of ‘What’s the Attraction?’, we discussed how branding helps showcase who you are. And for part two, we want to give you some practical advice to consider when building your brand.
Whether you’re branding for the first time, rebranding, or want to make some effective changes, we have some simple steps to help you achieve your goals.
4 Stages of Brand Consideration
1. Define.
It’s essential you have a complete image of who your target customer is from the start. If you don’t know who they are, you’re just stabbing blindly in the dark and often wasting your budget and resources. Learning who they are allows you to determine whether what you’re doing in your current branding is reaching them and connecting with them effectively. Too many companies begin marketing without ever considering who their audience is and produce confusing and mixed messages, ultimately holding them back from expanding in the future.
Action: Pull together everything you currently know about your customers and the market you wish to target into one branding document. Encourage those in your business to contribute. You may want to consider creating a short list of keywords or personas that describe your ideal audience best.
2. Understand.
Once you have an idea of who your ideal audience is, you’ll want to fill in the gaps. You may know facts about them, age, location, and income, but do you know where they shop? What social media channels they use? And what their favourite brands are?
Action: Visit your competitors’ websites and marketing materials. Review their branding and tone of voice to see what’s working in today’s market, and consider how you match up. What makes you unique? Take a moment here to talk to your existing customers who match your ideal client persona. These customers are worth their weight in gold. Then, update and add this information to your branding document.
3. Create.
Time to put your learnings into action. Your brand/rebranding is all about your ideal client. Matching your style to their tastes so you can make a powerful connection in this busy and saturated world. It needs to be unique enough to stand out but follow the rules of engagement, i.e., concise with the right colours, tone and message. This is where pulling in expertise can be really beneficial.
Action: Consider using a design and print marketing company to assist you in creating marketing materials which represent your brand and stand out to your ideal client. Remember, your marketing is the storefront for your business.
4. Be Seen.
Get your brand out there! You’ve worked hard to match your brand with your ideal client, but the proof of the brand pie is in the eating! If your customers never see it, how can they be tempted to take a bite?
Action: Get your branding on everything, from your website to your social channels, your email signatures, your employee’s Linkedin profiles, your product packaging. Get it out there! And remember, consistency is key!
Let Your Brand Grow
Whether rebranding or just starting to consider the elements of your brand, know that it isn’t a fixed thing. Many companies the world over have to rebrand as the market and audiences change regularly.
By regularly checking in with your audience to see where they’re at, you can continue to ensure your branding matches their expectations. Then, be free and grow as they do for maximum attraction.
