How To Build A Brand That People Will Remember

One of the keys to success is building a brand or a product that people will remember.  If you think about brands that you love, there is a lot of work that has gone into building those brands.  You have to think of yourself as brand before you start building a brand.  

Some Entrepreneurs try to build the identity of their brand by imitating other well-established players in the industry. This strategy will prove futile. Customer loyalty is a product of building a unique identity for your brand.   If you are already the mastermind calling the shots for a brand that is struggling, my first suggestion is to turn to your existing customers. You would be surprised how much you can benefit from some good old-fashioned research by means of a brand audit. Carefully assess what customers currently think about your brand and what they think it represents. You may be quite horrified to realize that your clients have completely misunderstood the voice of your brand. In the same breath, take the time to find out how they think your brand fares against the competition. Your business and your brand might be too close to your heart for you to critique it objectively. This can be achieved by means of online surveys or even in-house questionnaires. The key to getting the right information is to ask the right questions.  Ask clear, simple questions that get straight to the point.

Now that you have asked the right people, the right questions and have gotten into the minds of your customers, it is time for action.  But don’t pick a fight with every naysayer you encounter. Choose your battles carefully and always remember that you will not be able to please everyone. Try to identify any common themes in the responses of your clients. Please bear in mind that some of these responses may be aimed at improving the quality of your product or service. Leaving a bad taste in the mouth of your clients will do very little to help you build a successful brand. Build on the complaints or lack of enthusiasm for your brand. Use that information to guide your brand identity strategy. All of your creative resources should be aimed at removing common road blocks from the minds of existing customers and thus potential clients as well. Be sure to also reinforce the positive aspects of your brand that your customers identified.  Now that you know what to do, it is time to learn how to do it!  Building the identity of your brand might take some amount of time, but aimlessly spending money is never the solution.  Now that you are armed with all the right information, it is time to skillfully aim your blows by means of a carefully thought out brand identity strategy.

Designing a good strategy means you have almost won the battle. Your strategy should be centered on
objectives, but only a few. Your strategic objectives should be as SMART as they come. By SMART, I mean Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.  Don’t be too quick to implement a new strategy. Consider all the ‘what ifs’ before you jump and take the time plan the kind of attack your competitors will never see coming.

Remember to get to this point you have to survey the customers that you already have to get the feedback that you need to come up with a powerful strategy.  

Until Next Time
Make It A Great Day!
Audrey