Brand marketing is a global and
constantly evolving strategy that defines the brand's communication, sales and
product approach by promoting products and services in a way that makes the
brand visible in its entirety.
Brand marketing describes a
long-term strategic plan to continuously increase brand recognition and
reputation. The goal of brand marketing is to develop an ever-growing base of
loyal customers. This is achieved by continuously and consistently
communicating the identity and values of the brand in a meaningful and
engaging way.
Protecting your brand's
identity and reputation is essential to a successful brand marketing strategy.
Goals of Brand Marketing
Brand marketing primarily
revolves around building brand awareness, recognition, trust, and visibility.
This is the aspect of marketing that focuses on developing and maintaining a
brand's overall reputation. Here are the top 10 goals of brand marketing:
·
Increase brand awareness
·
Getting more market share
·
Introduce new products
·
Steps into a new local and
international market
·
Improve return of investment
·
Increase company profit
·
Attract new customers
·
Retain old and current customers
·
Increase sales
·
Optimize funnel
Brand Marketing Strategy
Here I’m showing you 8 steps of brand marketing/brand
building strategy:
Consider Over All Business
Strategy
A strong and well-differentiated brand will greatly facilitate the growth of your business. But
what kind of business do you want? Are you going to grow organically? Your
overall business strategy is in the context of your brand development strategy, so
it's the starting point. If you know clearly where you want to run your
business, your branding will help you get there.
Identify Your Clients
Who are your target customers? If
you say "everyone" you are making a big mistake. Our research clearly
shows that high-growth, high-profit companies focus on clearly defined target
customers. The narrower the focus, the faster the growth. The more diverse your
target audience, the more diluted your marketing efforts will be. So how do you
know if you've chosen the right target customer group? This is where the next
step comes in.
When you understand the difference between branding and direct marketing, you can easily identify your clients.
Research Your Target Customers Group
Companies that systematically
research their target customer group grow faster and are more profitable (see
figure below). Plus, those who search more frequently (at least quarterly) grow
even faster.
Research helps you understand
your target customer's perspectives and priorities, anticipate their needs, and
present your message in language that resonates with them. It also tells you
how they perceive your business strengths and your current brand. As such, it
greatly reduces the marketing risk associated with brand development.
Develop Brand Position
You are now ready to determine
your company's brand positioning in the professional services market (also
known as market positioning). How is your business different from others and
why should potential customers in your target audience choose to work with you?
A positioning statement
typically consists of three to five sentences and captures the essence of your
brand positioning. It must be grounded in reality, because you will have to
keep your promises. She also has to be a little ambitious to have something to strive
for.
Develop Messaging Strategy
Your next step is a messaging
strategy that translates your brand positioning into messages for your
different audiences. Your target audience typically includes leads, potential
employees, referral sources, or other influencers and potential partnership
opportunities, to name a few of the common suspects.
While your brand positioning
should be the same for all audiences, each audience will be interested in
different aspects of it. Messages to each audience will highlight the most
relevant points. Each audience will also have specific concerns that need to be
addressed and each will need different types of evidence to support your
messages. Your messaging strategy should meet all of these needs. This is an
important step in making your brand relevant to your target audience.
Choose the Right Logo and Tagline
For many businesses, a name
change is not necessary. But if you are a new business, are in the process of
merging, or have a name that no longer matches your positioning, a name change
may be appropriate. Even if you don't change your business name, a new logo and
slogan might make sense to better support your brand positioning.
Remember, your name, logo, and
tagline are not your brands. Part of your brand identity is how you communicate
or symbolize your brand. You have to live it to make it real.
And don't make the mistake of
posting the new logo internally to get consensus. The name, logo, and tagline are
not for you. They are intended for your market and should be judged on their
quality of communication, and not on the quality of their partners.
Develop Your Own Content Marketing Strategy
Content marketing is particularly suited to professional service companies in the
Internet age. It does everything traditional marketing does, but it does it
more effectively. Use valuable educational content to attract, nurture, and
qualify potential customers.
Remember
that your brand's strength is based on both reputation and visibility. Just
increasing your presence without increasing your reputation is rarely
successful. For this reason, traditional "awareness" advertising or
sponsorship often leads to disappointing results. On the other hand, content
marketing is increasing. Visibility and reputation. It's also the perfect way
to get your brand relevant to your target audience. Case closed.
Make Your Own Website
Website
is the most important branding tool. This is where all of your audience turns
to find out what you do, how you do it, and who your customers are. Potential
customers are unlikely to choose your business based solely on your website,
but they can kick you out if your site sends the wrong message.
Plus,
your website will host your valuable content. This content will become the
centerpiece of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts so that your
prospects, potential employees, and referral sources find you and get to know
your business. Online content is at the heart of any modern brand development
strategy.
There
are two types of professional service websites these days: the first is a
branded website; this site tells your story and communicates who you are, whom
you serve, and what you do; In short, it conveys your brand message. It does the
above and generates and nurtures new leads.