Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Creating an authentic look and message
• Part 2 of 3: Earning customer loyalty
• Part 3 of 3: Promote your brand
• Tips

Successfully presenting your brand, also called "branding", is extremely important to stay ahead of the competition and create customer loyalty. It requires careful consideration of your mission, creative thinking and a strong desire to connect with the people who ultimately make your business successful. Start by determining what's so special about your business and why your product or service is worth someone's time. From there, you can develop a logo and slogan that conveys the unique strength of your business, and start promoting your brand with everything you have in house.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Creating an authentic look and message

1. Determine the mission. What qualities, values ​​and experiences do you offer your customers? In order for your branding to appear as authentic and effective as possible, you need to paint a true picture of what your company is pursuing. But before you can do that, it's important to clearly communicate the company's mission statement, so you're clear about what sets your company apart from all the others. Consider the following questions:
   • Why did you start this business?
   • What goals do you want to achieve?
   • Who are the people you want to help?
   • What distinguishes your company from all those other companies in your sector?
2. Decide how you want to be seen. Try to get your customers to see your business as a real, living person they can trust. They need to know that they should choose your product or service when they are confronted with dozens of other products or services in the supermarket or in the telephone directory. With your mission in mind, determine which image you want to convey. What twist do you give to your mission?
   • Maybe you want people to see your product as a ticket to adventure, a brand new life or a second youth. This approach is often taken by luxury food companies that sell products such as goji berry juice or wheatgrass juices.
   • Maybe you want to present your company as “cutting edge” and cool. The customers will feel cool when they are seen with your products - as if they belong to a special club. Brands such as Nespresso and Apple opt for this approach.
   • You can also choose to provide the customers with a reliable and reliable option that will never disappoint them. This is a good approach if you are selling a product that should never break, such as car tires, or want to create a brand for your law firm.
   • You can rely on nostalgia to build your brand. People feel connected to things that remind them of their childhood and carefree times.
   EXPERT TIP

   Think like a customer. When you buy a product, why do you buy it? Why do you prefer one brand over another? See if you can use the answer to find out how your brand will come across. Find out what people want to feel and experience, and make sure your brand delivers. Do you want your customers to feel empowered and strong? Responsible? Conscientious? Intelligent? Unique? Your brand should evoke that feeling in them through copy, marketing and design. Try to evoke these feelings not only through language, but also through colors and the design of the products.

3. Specify the branding language. Choose a catchphrase, slogan or catchphrase and some important keywords that you want to associate with your brand. The words should be carefully aligned with the company's mission statement, and be memorable enough so that they can pass them on and recognize them next time. Use the brand language not only in the texts for products and in advertisements, but also when you talk about your company in person and make contacts.
   • Try to keep your text as streamlined and simple as possible as it will make the text a lot more memorable. A good example of this was the slogan Apple used in the 1990s and 2000s: “Think Different”. This was effective on several levels, because it made the company intelligent and unique, and because the concept was also easy to use in discussions and other branding platforms. Just two words, but ingeniously effective branding.
   • All copy related to your brand, including the texts on the labels of the products, on your website and in promotional materials, should be in line with the tone you are trying to set. For example, if the goal is to create a trustworthy and wonderfully old-fashioned image, opt for light formal language. This way, customers will feel that the people running your business are just as trustworthy as their fourth grade teacher.
4. Choose a design scheme. Your brand needs a look that matches the tone of the mission and the language. Are you modern and elegant? Fun and colorful? Traditional and classic? Make sure the look matches anytime and anywhere (in the brochures, on the website, in the product, in the office, etc.)
   • Design a great logo. The logo serves to engrave the brand in the customer's memory. When people see a check mark, they immediately think of Nike, even if there is no other promotion at all. The logo must be well designed (hire a professional for this) and be seen regularly (so try to place it as frequently and prominently as possible).
   • Choose the colors that represent your brand. These colors will be used on promotional materials as often as possible to evoke the brand. Examples include the golden yellow and red from McDonald's, the red, yellow, green and blue from Google, or the green and white from wikiHow.
   • Keep it simple. You want your branding to be easily recognized and quickly remembered. The best way to do this is to be as unique as possible, yet simple.
   • You can choose to have your visual branding and the signature spells you use for your business or offers registered so that no one else can use it.
5. Involve your employees in the branding. Communicate the importance of the brand to the employees, and explain why and how you came up with the brand identity that you are promoting. You will need their support if you want your new branding to pay off.
   • In the eyes of the customer, everything your company does is linked to the brand. This also includes the way your employees dress and behave.
   • The employees will have their own ideas about what your company stands for. They will also determine for themselves whether the promises of the mission are being fulfilled. The employees can provide you with priceless insights. Ask your employees if they believe that your product is being properly received by the market. Don't just ignore their opinion.

Part 2 of 3: Earning customer loyalty

1. Put words into action with a great product. If the messages about your product are glowing but you don't live up to that promise, customers will turn to elsewhere - and your brand won't catch on. But if your company lives up to the branding promises, you will gain the trust of the customers for you. When that happens, they will share the good experiences about your services and products with others, and your brand's reputation will speak for itself in no time.
   • Make sure that the association that the customers have with your brand is in line with what you actually offer. For example, if you say that your margarita-flavored lemonade is the most invigorating drink on the market, but customers keep complaining that it doesn't contain tequila, you're not marketing the product properly. You may want to change the name of the drink so that customers are not disappointed when they try your product.
   • It is also essential to be transparent about your company's operations. Trust is an incredibly important part of brand recognition because your customers need to feel like your brand is like an old friend. Show customers how you work, where the money is going and where the priorities lie. Even if the information is not always that good, you should always paint an honest picture. Make sure that the company is presented in the best possible light.
2. Do market research to find out who you serve. What age group do most customers fall into? What are the demographics of your customer base? The answer to those questions may surprise you, making it important to conduct market research. Only then can you find out who is interested in the product you offer and how customers react to your branding.
   • Consider creating a focus group to test how your product is received by people from different demographics. Ask them to describe their image of the company before and after trying your product.
   • Tapping into a specific target group is often more effective than trying to generate universal appeal. For example, if you find out that your snack is eaten the most by teenage boys, you can adjust the branding strategy to make the product even more attractive to this target group.
3. Do a competition analysis. Do research to find out what other companies are offering and determine how your company is different from others. Your branding should focus on the difference - on what makes your product better than any other. It is essential to find something that sets you apart from the rest because customers today have so much choice that they will never know about your product if you don't do your best to make it stand out.
   • It could be that a certain company is already the market leader in a certain segment, but that does not mean that a slightly different target group will not be interested in your product.
   • If you find that the market is saturated with great products, you may want to consider moving in a different direction. You can choose different branding or adjust your product.
4. Talk to your customers. It is important to connect with the people who buy your product. This way you can get feedback on how your company could improve. This also gives customers the feeling that they know your company and what it stands for exactly. Represent the company's core values ​​in the way you talk to your customers and how you behave. Give your customers the space to provide feedback and ask questions, so that they have the opportunity to get to know the brand and ultimately trust it.
   • Respond promptly to the feedback you receive. If someone is complaining about your business, listen to their story. Try to clear the air and resolve the issue.
   • Don't opt ​​for automatic replies to emails. Try to make your business appear as considerate and friendly as possible. Show the customers how enthusiastic you are about your product.

Part 3 of 3: Promote your brand

1. Develop a marketing strategy. Make a plan so that you can show your brand name in as many places as possible and get it to see as many people as possible. Depending on the product or service you offer, consider advertising online, in the newspapers, in magazines, or wherever you think you can find new customers.
   • Apply branding, including your visual brand and branding message, to all of your materials - from packaging to stationery, and from your website to promotional materials. Do not hesitate to market your products boldly and show them in as many places as possible. You don't want people to be able to ignore your brand.
   • Advertise your brand in unexpected places. Radio commercials, corporate clothing, and freebies with your logo on them (such as tissues or pens) are all fairly inexpensive ways to promote your brand.
   • See if you can get publicity in a local newspaper, on a regional television channel, or on a blog that can review your product or service.
2. Make sure you are active on social media. Today, one of the best ways to build a brand is using social media. Create social media accounts and update them regularly with photos, offers and other information about your business. Try to find things that are relevant and that appeal to the customers. Also make sure that customers have the opportunity to contact you.
   • For example, post a picture of a beautiful vacation location if you run a travel agency. Add a message such as: “Are you already counting down to the summer holidays? Where do you want to go this year? ”
   • Don't spam. Don't always try to impose your brand in an annoying way. Don't post content without context. Don't focus your social media strategy on people who are not interested in it. Be genuine and kind. Respond to customer inquiries and requests. Avoid looking like a metaphorically shady used car salesman.
   EXPERT TIP

   Have a great website. We live in the age of the internet and social media. A good website is therefore central to good branding. It's okay to advertise your business mainly in the physical and traditional media, but if you don't have a website you will be labeled old-fashioned and inaccessible. Hire a professional or use a so-called "template" to build your own website. At the very least, your website should make it clear what the brand is about, where the office is located, what times you are open, and how to contact you.

   • See your website as an opportunity to tell your story. People find it easier to understand things that fit into a story, and they will identify with things that make them feel part of that story. If you want to grow your brand, you need to offer your customers a story that they can be a part of. Publish the story on the "about us" page of your website, or spread the story through your promotional materials.
   • In the 80s and 90s of the last century, Microsoft painted the picture that they had gone all out to become the most innovative and effective company in their sector. Enterprising people who would like to see their lives in the same way could agree with this. These people felt like they were part of that greatness by purchasing Microsoft products.
3. Be involved in the community. A personal presence can help build trust and promote the brand. Organize events, attend events hosted by others, volunteer and give back to the community. This way, customers and potential customers can see what your brand stands for.
   • At neighborhood parties, fairs and similar events, companies can set up a stand to distribute information. Take advantage of this and forge bonds with the people in your community - everyone is a potential customer.
   • Give back to the community through donations and sponsorships. This can also increase your brand awareness. For example, sponsor a football team or a ballet group to make the existence of your brand known.

Tips

• Innovate, develop, cultivate, participate, grow and move with the times.
• Choose a role model. Do not think that you are copying someone with this; the point is that you use someone as an example. If you make sportswear, choose Nike or Adidas as a role model. Those companies have done a great job, both in terms of advertising and media policy. So take inspiration from that.