| |
| |
|
Branding Information |
|
|
|
Shattering the Branding Myths
If you've been online long, you're sure to have seen many "gurus" give their ideas about branding. However, much of what you read simply isn't true. Over the years, many myths about branding have taken hold in the online world and spread like wildfire. The fact is: They are doing you more harm than good. Branding is not one aspect of your marketing campaign. It is the combination of everything your business stands for. Branding is not created with a single, stand-alone event -- rather it is created over time through a series of strategically thought-out actions. Let's take a few minutes to shatter a few common myths about branding and to introduce constructive, proactive branding principles that you can build on. Branding Myth #1 - Your USP Is Your Brand Absolutely not. While your USP (Unique Selling Position) might be used to help convey your brand, it is not - in and of itself - your complete branding strategy. Branding Principle #1 - Your Brand Is All Encompassing Your brand is built, and conveyed, with every action you take, with every product/service you offer, with every piece of communication you send, and with every contact you make with your customers. Branding Myth #2 - To Be Remembered, You Must Have A Logo Also not true. Look at companies like Marlboro (cigarettes), Puffs (tissue), and Ziploc (plastic bags). They simply use a specialized font with the product name. No swirls, no images, no "logo." While logos certainly are not "bad," they are also not mandatory. Branding Principle #2 - Customers Remember You Primarily By How They Are Treated The most innovative logo, the most attractive colors, and the world's best logo designer will do you no good if you don't offer excellent service. Customers remember you and your company by the way they are treated. Was their shopping experience good? Were all their questions answered? Were their problems solved to their satisfaction? These things go way further to help customers remember you than any logo could ever hope to. Branding Myth #3 - Once Your Branding Strategy Is In Place, You Need Do Nothing More This is probably the biggest myth of them all! So many online businesses are led to believe that once they have an amazing USP, and a snappy logo they have accomplished everything in the realm of branding. However, just the opposite is true. Your branding strategy is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Defining your strategy is just one part of that process. Here are some basic tips to help you define and implement your brand. Successful brands are those who are well defined and that have the support of the entire organization. Brands based on myths are those that simply have a spiffy logo, a "killer" USP, and the hope that the customer will "get it." Would you rather base your brand on sound principles or myths? That's what I thought! Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes About The Author Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane
MORE RESOURCES:
Branding - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Build Brand Identity Through Product Branding Building a product into a brand leader is not easy, but I truly believe that you can improve your branding impression if you follow these 2 rules; Passion & Consistency as well as the 4P's of Branding that I have developed, PRODUCT - PLACEMENT - PROMOTION - PEOPLE. These 4 P's will enable you to check the way your brand is interpreted. Simple Risk Reversal Formula Will Send Your Sales Into Space (1 of 2) Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An Awesome GuaranteeOnce you know what problem you, your service or your business can solve or what genuine benefit you can deliver then guarantee it!A bold promise backed up with an awesome guarantee:* Enables You To Significantly Raise Your Price* Gives You A Genuine Differentiator* Increases Sales and Commitment* Demonstrates Rock-Solid Certainty In Your Abilities - People Find This Confidence Very AttractiveIf you don't currently guarantee what you do then I bet it's down to one of these three things.. Importance of Business Branding Branding is very important to a business, whether it is an online or offline business. Your brand will be the first impression the public has of your business and could very well be the most important one. Brand Identity and the CEO This week I spent a few hours with a highly successful CEO discussing his brand identity questions and concerns. "What do the most successful brand initiatives have in common?" he asked. Wealthiest 10% of Americans Name Top Quality Brands for 8 Products in New Survey The seventh in a continuing series of twice-yearly surveys by The American Affluence Research Center (AARC) reveals the brands considered to have the highest quality, regardless of price, by the wealthiest 10% of Americans, the 11 million households representing about half of all consumer income and spending, a third of the total US economy, and 70% of the personal wealth of Americans.Just released, the AARC report, The Luxury Market: Spring 2005 Survey of Affluent Americans, shows the affluent named Rolex, Cartier, and Tag Heuer as the top three brands for quality, regardless of price, for lady's fine watches. John Deere and NASCAR; Excellent Use of Brand We should all recognize the marketing efforts of John Deere especially as we have spoken before with regards to their TOYS. They have a complete line of nearly every tractor or agricultural attachment they make available in small, micro size. Getting Started in the Mail Order Business. How Much Does It Cost? INTRODUCTION To get any business started successfully takes many ingredients. All requirements fall into one of the following four key categories: 1. Logo Design - Corporate Identity Branding - Brand Identity Guru Like it or not it's who you are. Your corporate Identity touches all aspects of your business and plays a vital role in your customer's overall feeling with your organization. Value Proposition Writing - Brand Identity Guru Your Value Proposition, or as I usually call it, your Core Marketing Message, is still misunderstood by most professionals. It's not just a tagline, sound bite or even an "Audio Logo. Whats In A Name? When It Comes To Your Business, Plenty! Q: How important is the name of a business? Should the name of a business reflect what the business does or is it better to come up with something catchy and easy to remember? -- Randy P.A: What's in a name? When it comes to your business, Randy, a lot more than you might think. Branding 101: Why Its Critical to Business Success and How to Do It Right What's Your Brand?A brand is a product/company personality that helps distinguish it from the competition. It evolves out of the product essence. A good logo vs. a FABULOUS logo If you had a choice, which one would you choose, a good logo or a fabulous logo? Think about it for a second here, although I know the answer is crystal clear. Because many of us settle for a good logo created by a credible logo designer just because he or she is a credible logo designer who charges low prices. Your Business Logo and Color Scheme My business logo and color scheme started one lovely spring day in my office, after two years of working with words and images. I purchased some rubber stamps and played with them. Corporate Branding - Dont Forget Your CDs! Companies have been branding their collateral materials such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards, etc. for years. Introduction to A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation Of Superbrands You'd have to labor to shield yourself from the power of Branding; it's hard to avoid it in today's business and social climate. Even in the backwoods of very, very small-town America, you couldn't emancipate yourself from the in-your- face concepts of Branding messages from all over the world. Product Positioning for Enterprise Software and Information Technology Companies Good marketing positioning is like good lying. No, we're not suggesting that you lie when creating your company and product positioning. Don't Overlook Your Email When Considering Your Brand Identity You wouldn't skip letterhead when sending out a sales letter - Or would you?How many emails do you send each day? If you are anything like me, you probably send hundreds of emails for every one print letter. Most businesses use letterhead for their print correspondence but miss out on extending their branding to virtual communications. What About Me? What You Need To Know About Me-Marketing What about me? Are you asking yourself this question? If not you should be. Don't wait until you are in crisis mode when you are losing your job or your business before you think "what about me?"Here are a few points to consider. Do What Works "Can you hear me now?"You'd be hard pressed to find someone in the US who doesn't know the company behind that question.So why do big companies, like Verizon, hammer us with the same message over and over? Because it works. The Big Uneasy: Clearing the Clouds of Guess People often come to me to assist them with developing their brand because they are unable to accomplish the business success they desire. They're experiencing what we call the Big Uneasy--the state of being when things are hard.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
