By Komla Buami
Are you one of those who believe branding has outlived its importance in the market place? You might have to revise that worldview. Brands like Coca Cola, Apple, Samsung, KFC, Jaguar, Range Rover, etc., have invested hugely in building a solid brand identity that has culminated into their continuous dominance of their respective industries.
Usually, when branding is mentioned, the first thing that comes to the minds of many people is a fanciful logo, colour codes and smart websites. Branding, however, involves the whole business; what comes to the mind of people when your business is mentioned, what makes you different from your competitors, what you believe in and how you respond to the needs of your clients or customers. Once branding is understood this way, one cannot afford to overlook the basics.
Many start-ups argue they will rather spend the limited resources they have on growing their businesses, than on building a strong brand identity. What happens when you have succeeded in building that big business and suffer reputational crises? You lose all your investment, right? This is the reason why branding cannot be an afterthought.
Branding has become more important now than ever. Building brands shapes value for businesses and corporations. Over the past several years, I have met and interacted with many business leaders, mostly start-ups, who shared their experiences about their attempt to build a strong brand for their operations. These businesses have the challenge of increasing sales and establishing a stronger clientele base. Often times, many of these business leaders think the use of catchy logos and websites could do the trick. Branding obviously, goes beyond this.
Building a brand or being a brand strategist is not an event. Lots of effort, and of course cash, need to be invested into it. When effectively done, you are able to get your business noticeable, outstanding and eventually a big brand with its own class. So, what should a start-up consider when planning to spend on branding? Here are some ideas:
Identify your publics/audience
Start by mapping out your key audience. Understanding your audience has critical consequences for your branding needs. You need to understand who your clients or customers are, what they are interested in and what influences their buying decisions. This way, you are able to tailor your branding activities to their needs. Knowing your audience also helps you to plan the suitable strategy and the best medium to use.
What separates you from your competitors?
In building a strong brand, you ought to understand what your Unique Selling Proposition is. Identify what makes your brand different from your competitors’. Is your brand of superior quality, trusted or what? Your ability to identity these, helps to easily develop key messages that could be used as your elevator speech.
What do your competitors’ brands look like?
A careful assessment of how your competitors have succeeded in branding themselves could give you the strongest indication of how you should start. Ask what they have done so well and what more could be done. Whereas it is not advisable to just copy and paste what they are doing, a fair understanding of what they do and how they do it could assist you in building a stronger identity.
Think big right from the start.
I often hear some entrepreneurs say “I want to start small”. It’s a mistake to consider yourself a starter by planning your brand on a low-key level. Don’t! Think big right from the start. Once you think of your business as one that could travel across continents, you begin to do what big businesses do; a step at a time.
Invest in a marketing identity.
Your visual identity which includes your logo, website, color choices and even call cards are most often your clients’ first point of contact. First impressions, they say, last longer. Even if need be that you hire the services of the best graphic designer to assist you, don’t hesitate. Many young entrepreneurs usually pay less attention to this. Truth is, the quality of your call cards could earn you that first class brand recognition than your advertisement would. Although brand identity is not only in a logo or call cards, they definitely could offer that ‘WOW’ experience to a prospective client.
Be consistent.
Everything you do – writing on social media, colour choices and overall messaging – should be consistent with what you do. Once you have a clear brand plan, you should endeavour to let it reflect in all you do. Be sure to have a brand plan or concept which should reflect in everything you do. That way, it becomes an identity that your business is known for.
Seek professional help, if needed.
Once you conceptualize your brand identity, don’t hesitate to talk to a brand strategist on how you need to proceed. The choice of either hiring an in-house expert or outsourcing a third party is yours to explore. Either way, the focus is to ensure that a professional touch is brought on board.
Once you have succeeded in identifying your brand look, don’t keep it to your chest; share it with all your staff so it becomes the collective effort of the entire team. You might want to review your plan as the business grows but largely, your ability to remain consist helps in increasing your visibility and growth.
The writer is a communications consultant with the Newmark group limited – a leading African Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) firm. His email address is komla@newmark-imc.com
