Successful branding evokes an emotional response that solidifies a relationship between business and consumer. To be serious about brand management you need to plan from the ground upwards, putting the clothes back on the Emperor, if you will.
Get things right from the start and the rest of the process will be smoother.
In the Beginning
Some of the most effective brand management teams are put together a great deal of time before a product launch, and with good reason: the cohesiveness of how a brand team works together can be crucial to a successful campaign from its inception to launch. The team should be working towards the same goal, and decision-making should be instilled from the start for a quicker process throughout the life cycle of the campaign.
Careful attention should be paid to research at the start of a brand’s life cycle. This umbrella concept includes defining your target market, identifying your main competitors and how you want to be perceived by both your audience and competitors. A branding agency such as www.blondideasgroup.com can be instrumental in providing you with the tools to conduct thorough and useful research.
Consider the Aims of Branding
Good branding will create confidence in consumers and secure your business as an authority in your industry. Branding is all about the message and how it is conveyed through visual evocation. Your primary aim should be differentiation, or how you will stand out in a crowded marketplace. What is it that makes you competitive? Why should consumers return to you and what value do they have in loyalty with your brand?
Tell a Story
In Marketing Week, Richard Madden said that great brands have a strong narrative backbone when they focus on their purpose, or the ‘why’. Social media has made it easier than ever to tell a story that engages audiences across multiple platforms, and the takeaway is that people love telling, hearing, and sharing stories. Yours should be one that inspires people to share with others.
Bringing It All Together
Brand management is a multi-faceted concept with an often complex life cycle that needs to be adaptive to change. Having proper monitoring tools to gauge the progress of your brand is vital so you can dip back into your groundwork and adjust anything that isn’t working.
