Crazy Gurus: Branding and How Important is it to Your Marketing Strategy

What is Branding and How Important is it to Your Marketing Strategy ?

Branding:-

The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:

    Delivers the message clearly
    Confirms your credibility
    Connects your target prospects emotionally
    Motivates the buyer
    Concretes User Loyalty

To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating your brand strategies through your company at every point of public contact.

Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot.

A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It's a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.

What does branding mean to your company's marketing strategy? Post Questions, Comments, and Answers to this Question in the Marketing Forum.

Branding may refer to:-

Making a mark by charring:-

Wood branding:, permanently marking, by way of heat, wood (also: plastic, cork, leather, etc.)

Livestock branding:, the marking of animals to indicate ownership

Human branding:, as body modification or punishment

Branding (BDSM):, bonding of the partners and marking of a submissive

Vehicle title branding:, a permanent designation indicating that a vehicle has been "written off"

Brand:, a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service

Brand management:, the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand

Employer branding:, the application of brand management to recruitment marketing and internal brand engagement

Internet branding:, brand management on the Internet

Nation branding:, the application of marketing techniques for the advancement of a country

Place branding:, the application of marketing techniques for the advancement of country subdivisions

Personal branding:, people and their careers marketed as brands

Branding agency:, a type of marketing agency which specializes in creating brands

Faith branding:, the application of marketing techniques to religious institutions or individuals

Co-branding:-

Co-branding:, associates a single product or service with more than one brand name

Co-branding refers to several different marketing arrangements:

Co-branding, also called brand partnership,[1] is when two companies form an alliance to work together, creating marketing synergy. As described in Co-Branding: The Science of Alliance:[2]

"the term 'co-branding' is relatively new to the business vocabulary and is used to encompass a wide range of marketing activities involving the use of two (and sometimes more) brands. Thus co-branding could be considered to include sponsorships, where Marlboro lends it name to Ferrari or accountants Ernst and Young support the Monet exhibition." ”

Co-branding is an arrangement that associates a single product or service with more than one brand name, or otherwise associates a product with someone other than the principal producer. The typical co-branding agreement involves two or more companies acting in cooperation to associate any of various logos, color schemes, or brand identifiers to a specific product that is contractually designated for this purpose. The object for this is to combine the strength of two brands, in order to increase the premium consumers are willing to pay, make the product or service more resistant to copying by private label manufacturers, or to combine the different perceived properties associated with these brands with a single product.

The Basics of Branding:-Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. But what exactly does "branding" mean? How does it affect a small business like yours?

Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors'. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.

Are you the innovative maverick in your industry? Or the experienced, reliable one? Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can't be both, and you can't be all things to all people. Who you are should be based to some extent on who your target customers want and need you to be.

The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials--all of which should integrate your logo--communicate your brand.

Brand Strategy & Equity:-

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company's products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command. The most obvious example of this is Coke vs. a generic soda. Because Coca-Cola has built a powerful brand equity, it can charge more for its product--and customers will pay that higher price.

The added value intrinsic to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment. For example, Nike associates its products with star athletes, hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. For Nike, it's not just the shoe's features that sell the shoe.
Defining Your Brand

Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below:

    What is your company's mission?
    What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
    What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
    What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?

Do your research. Learn the needs, habits and desires of your current and prospective customers. And don't rely on what you think they think. Know what they think.

Because defining your brand and developing a brand strategy can be complex, consider leveraging the expertise of a nonprofit small-business advisory group or a Small Business Development Center .

Once you've defined your brand, how do you get the word out? Here are a few simple, time-tested tips:

    Get a great logo. Place it everywhere.
    Write down your brand messaging. What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes.
    Integrate your brand. Branding extends to every aspect of your business--how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, your e-mail signature, everything.
    Create a "voice" for your company that reflects your brand. This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal. You get the gist.
    Develop a tagline. Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.
    Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don't need to be fancy, just consistent.
    Be true to your brand. Customers won't return to you--or refer you to someone else--if you don't deliver on your brand promise.
    Be consistent. I placed this point last only because it involves all of the above and is the most important tip I can give you. If you can't do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.

Regards,