Jun
04
2012
When it comes to branding, many marketers believe that change is the only consistent factor that keeps a brand alive and with this misconstruction they try implementing out of the box thinking, sometimes in the form of changing the logo, or may be adopting a new name because of launching of a new range of services. However, the important fact is that you don’t show your creativity just to prove that how radical you are in your business. In case of your brand identity such creative fluctuations might be disastrous for you and your brand. Maintaining a brand consistency would only ensure your evergreen customers are always with you.
It is important for every brand to make its own identity and create an image that people can easily connect them with. That’s why repetition of activities through an identity is crucial for the success of brands. Over a period of time people associated with a particular brand will be able to connect instantly with that brand. Frequent changes in your brand identity will confuse your customers and this will result in poor branding which, soon, will get reflected in your sales volume.
Some of the important practices that have helped building brands worldwide are:
- The focal point of your brand identity and brand strategy should revolve around you customers deep insights.
- While creating brand identity keep space for accommodating future services and products that can be included under the same umbrella. This may include any possible industry changes or change in business model.
- Your brand identity should always be under a brand identity enforcer and overseer
- In case of any unavoidable situations wherein your brand needs to be repositioned then try to make the new one in a manner that it retains the same old flavor to some extent.
It would be judicious to think twice before you bring any new changes to your brand. Most of the time changes are not in the brand’s best interest. It is always advisable to think about a new product instead of thinking about changing your brand’s identity. Try to come up with a revolutionary marketing strategy if possible.
Feb
26
2011
Do you like reading stories? Have you grown up reading them? Did you have role models that you worshiped after you read them for weeks when you were young?
Stories are gripping. If told in an interesting way, they create a new world for you. They create a world of possibilities and that of dreams too. The role models in the story are the characters, who have performed commendable feats, or have accomplished a simple task with commendable precision. Now convert all this into the world of business, and the hero’s become business tycoons and the stories that they play in, become their successful businesses, their new business ventures, the difficulties they grapple with and the new ways in which they conquered them.
Stories work a long way in establishing a brand identity for a product. They change the mundane world of numbers and names into interesting ones. They talk of the company and the struggles that it has undertaken and emerged successfully later. Instead of filling your website with brazen descriptions then, it would be a great business tips to convert them into stories?
“The Google Story” by David A. Vise is a fantastic example of the way in which the struggles of a business, its achievements and trials become a story and helps the firm establish itself as a special brand name and carve an identity for itself.
However, if you think that only famous people can write their stores or have them written, that is not true. A mass media platform like a website is effective enough to narrate your tale. For instance, if your business deals in promotional products you could weave a beautiful and a realistic tale of how promotional items and business gifts became your own means to grow your own business.
Stories capture audiences. And they are rarely tapped as a potential medium for advertizing and branding. This idea is sure to generate interest in your business and ensure a better sale for you. Here in fact is an idea- email your business story at susans@promodirect.com and you stand a chance to get your story posted on our esteemed Promo Direct Blog and Facebook page.
Dec
26
2010
LinkedIn has finally gone the Twitter and Facebook way – possibly a step further – and introduced a
LinkedIn Share buttonthrough which users can share information or content on their profiles as well as on LinkedIn Groups. I know … I know that such forums for brand positioning were already started by the FB and Twitter magnates. Still wondering why am I so kicked about LinkedIn finally getting there? Its because this will give a professional focus to brand promotion on the social media network.
With most of your current and potential business contacts already on the site, the LinkedIn Share button can prove to be a blessing for your brand promotion and can direct your brand positioning. Here’s how and why…
Share information
Any new developments in your business, new products introduced or discounts offered. All you have to do is share it using the LinkedIn Share button and the news gets zapped into the LinkedIn sphere that hosts all your business contacts. Brand promotion – instantly achieved!
Strengthen contacts
It works like the FB ‘likes’ and the Twitter ‘follow’ or ‘retweet’! In addition to your information, share information you sourced from your contacts’ blog or website too, using LinkedIn Share. The business camaraderie generated will be good for your business and will be reciprocated too. Brand promotion – gradually … but achieved nonetheless!
Save time
Information dissemination – to business contacts at LinkedIn who make up your business destination – at the click of a button! Brand promotion – won’t take more than a few seconds!
Linked in also recently introduced LinkedIn Company pages where companies can ‘build their brand through network-aware recommendations, giving members rich, credible insights into how any given product (or service) is perceived by their fellow professionals’ – (that’s how LinkedIn blog described it!) It works pretty much like the Facebook ‘like’ concept wherein clients can visit the company pages and ‘recommend’ your company and go a step further in your brand promotion.
Nov
27
2010
When you see an apple, do you recognize it by its shape or by its color? Never thought so profoundly before gobbling up the fruit, did you! According to an ingenious team of researchers from
Vanderbilt University, apparently an area in our brain is divided in such a manner that it responds differently to different colors. This in turn defines how you discern a particular object.
Go a step further and think branding strategies as you read this and you’ll have one of those ‘Oh why didn’t I think of it before’ moments like I did. Visualize Coca Cola and doesn’t ‘red’ flood your thoughts or ‘blue’ when you imagine Facebook? (This is apart from the shape, font etc.)
Take color seriously like the above brands did, and you’ll find brand identity and recall baby steps away. Find out why some colors work and how can you use them:
Blue – It represents calmness, integrity and stability. No wonder then its the most popular color preferred by businesses. Use it in your business cards, office décor, brochures to convey the ‘you can trust us’ message.
Red – It represents the color of danger, excitement, and passion. Use this color to imprint your logo on the promotional items and rest assured, it will keep drawing attention to your brand.
Orange – It represents enthusiasm and its vibrancy is guaranteed to enhance your brand identity. Use it for your banners and your marketing message will be communicated loud and clear.
Green – It represents prosperity or money. Sending mailers about how your low prices facilitate savings, write it in green. Want to portray your company as eco-friendly? Give your office, office stationery, promotional items a green tone.
White – It represents peace and simplicity. Pick this color while gifting promotional shirts or assigning uniforms to your employees, and not only will they use it as formal wear, your logo will look the brightest too.
Black – It represents seriousness and no-nonsense boldness and is the preferred color while stating facts. Use it while writing your website or brochure content and the readers will believe in you and your services. If in white, they convey simplicity, promotional shirts in black convey style.
So there! Why stick to drabness when you can add a dash of color to your branding strategies, right?
To view a large variety of branding products for business promotion, please visit our website at www.promodirect.com
Nov
24
2010
‘Have skin as soft as a baby’s’… No images need to accompany this slogan; the power of imagination has already won over the women. Not surprising then that many Chinese women have begun taking a collagen drink – the product this ad campaign endorses – which promises women youthful ‘super smooth’ skin with every sip!
Small business advertising like this, which immediately leads you to imagine the caress of an infant’s cheek against your own, works because it achieves instant connect with the target group. In business jargon, this connectivity facilitator is called Brand Essence.
For those of you who hate jargon, the simplest definition I can rake up is this. Brand Essence is that aspect/s in a brand which causes the audience to sit up and take notice, to believe that it is him/her whom the brand is meant for.
So what makes a brand tick? Why do loyalists swear by it? What about a brand convinces them that ‘this is it’ before they agree to buy a product or a service? Too many questions? Let me simplify.
In a nutshell: What makes up ‘brand essence’ and how to spread it?
I know what you are thinking and No – the slogan is just one of the aspects that conveys the story of your brand. In short, it’s a tool for brand recall. For me brand essence is about these:
- Whether your brand is relevant for diverse categories of your target group.
- Whether it fulfills their need and is affordable.
- Whether your brand wins the competition race.
- Whether the products you offer and the ideals you uphold appeal to your target audience.
- Whether the affinity for your brand surpasses beyond individual products or services you offer and the audience likes what you represent as a whole. For example, promotional giveaways that are useful instead of mere promotional show pieces are ideal ways to express the value every business upholds, that of keeping customers happy.
- Whether what your brand invokes strong enough for your employees to believe in it and promote it. Business promotional products can be good ways of showing the ‘you care’ aspect to your clients and employees.
Ensure all the aspects of your brand embody the essence of your brand. Sloganeering is not enough; ensure that every aspect of your small business advertising activity embodies what your brand symbolizes.
Event promotions like tradeshows, seminars, and exhibitions are hotspots to get new clients. Simple things like the demeanor of your staff, promotional giveaways you distribute can convey your brand essence.
Brand essence is the core of your brand’s existence. Can’t be captured and can’t not be communicated. What are you waiting for? Give your clients a whiff of it and win them over. Now!
To view a large variety of branding products for promotion, please visit our website at www.promodirect.com
