Right at the beginning, the question « What is a brand? » What do you imagine under this English word? Is it the company’s logo, or perhaps its slogan? Or is there something more hidden under the term « branding »? Today, let’s focus on the essence of branding, we’ll be happy to explain why it’s good to deal with branding and add a few tips to make branding a breeze.
Meet!
In the introduction, we threw in terms like « logo » or « slogan », but neither is a brand as such. These matters can only be part of it. If we were to use a dictionary, we would learn that brand means « brand » in translation from the English language.
Now let’s do a little experiment:
Each of us has a favorite brand, whether it’s a favorite food, fashion, car, etc. Which is the one that comes to mind first? You must have imagined one. Now think about it – did you remember this brand just because of its logo? Or just for her slogan? Most likely NOT.
Why deal with branding?
Because a strong brand works as an elevator . It will put you far above the competition, put you in the forefront in the eyes of customers, and save you a lot of money and time. Let’s look at the benefits of branding in more detail:
• you stand out from the rest
Very important, because if you do not offer a truly exceptional product or are not a complete pioneer of a new product, you remain under the pressure of the world market, where thousands and thousands of other merchants and companies are fighting for each interested party.
• the customer feels safe with you
Your good name instills a sense of confidence in him. He knows he can count on you in any situation. He knows you offer quality. He knows what to expect.
• you arouse emotions in the interested party
Shopping should be a joy, and a strong brand can do that. A customer doesn’t buy from you just because they need or want a product. The customer buys from you because they want the product. And he only wants it from you. He just feels great, even though he is sending quite a bit of money from his account. The pleasure of shopping at a beloved brand is irresistible to him.
Before you start branding
You have an advantage if you are still a small company and you are at the beginning of your « launch ». You don’t have to devote yourself to a complex reconstruction of the already established visual and communication tone. Of course, even projects that have been on the market for a long time do not have to throw the proverbial flint into the rye. The answers to the following 4 points are essential for you – they will help you get to know your own e-project more deeply and establish the right direction and form of branding.
• Who are you?
And also: Who are you talking to? Introduce yourself, describe your strengths and values. Don’t forget to define the target group, including the ideal customer. (for more see the paragraph « Branding tools »)
• How do you communicate/present yourself?
The content you spread around your e-project significantly helps with building your brand and awareness of you. Thanks to the content, you get closer to your customers and gain their sympathy. It is especially great and effective for the brand if you also give something of value for free with your content. What do we mean by that? That you will get the biggest and fastest results when you produce useful content . Such content must again depend on who you are and what your goals are, what audience you are targeting and how you have set up your communication tactics. This will determine whether it is more appropriate for you to create content intended more for entertainment or with an emphasis on expertise and an effort to educate your audience. (for more see the paragraph « Branding tools »)
• What is your focus/what is your goal and mission?
A hugely important factor that many e-projects do not have set or just carelessly. A successful brand must uncompromisingly know what it is trying to achieve in the future. It is her inner drive to constantly improve. Don’t be afraid of narrow specialization. The number of customers and the size and variety of the assortment may not always be proof of success. If, on the other hand, you focus on a narrow sector, this specialization can become your big competitive advantage.
• How do others react to you?
Branding greatly influences the customer’s perception of a product, but it also works the other way around. What reactions are you getting from your audience? Take note of comments, reviews and other feedback on your e-project. It is the audience that you have already attracted that can help you in the next steps in building a strong brand. What do « your people » want and what are they really like? Adapt the brand to those who believe in it and gain other loyal customers thanks to a well-thought-out appearance. Show them that your brand is unique and that what you offer is also unique. Today’s people love unique products, but most only when the crowds show interest in them. But this is very advantageous for the brand. Although unique loses the charm of its initial uniqueness, it still offers room for further development – after an exceptional product, why not offer exceptional above-standard services or focus on building a seemingly closed community of fans? Work with the emotions and psychology of your target group, the correct use of knowledge from these areas will strengthen your brand.
What is essential for branding?
Find a strong, connecting thought – idea – idea. He must permeate the entire e-project from the ground up and involve even the seemingly least important employee « in the work » (although, is there anyone like that at all?). Yes, everyone has to contribute. Maximum trust must prevail first among the creators of the project, so that the public can also penetrate.
In addition to the idea, the promise is also important. What do you promise with your brand? What can the audience expect? In order to gain the necessary good reputation, it is necessary to fulfill your promises on time and at a professional level. No postponing, no unnecessary talking – the fulfillment of resolutions also determines the brand’s success with customers. A satisfied customer will reward you with loyalty, loyalty and affection.
Branding tools
How to multiply and improve the public perception of your brand? Work with selected marketing tools and effective elements that will help deepen the audience’s relationship with your e-project:
• plan
Create manuals to help you communicate clearly to your audience. Communication must always take place on the same level and form, thanks to which the customer will fixate on you. Therefore, start by creating a communication manual in which you precisely outline the principles of communication with the public. Be clear in what tone you will speak to customers. This tone must match your target audience. The target group is another factor that deserves its own manual. Prepare the so-called personas. Personas, i.e. typical customers, allow you to get to know the target group better and thus target them much better with content and other marketing strategies.
• start blogging
That is, not only into him. You can also choose the increasingly popular YouTuber, i.e. creating videos. Textual and visual content does not have to consist only of classic articles and video formats, also include less traditional content media such as infographics, cinemagraphs, gif animations . That is, anything extra and anything else that you can use to differentiate yourself from your competition. Most blogs are still based only on contributing text articles, although with the help of images, graphs, tutorials, their creators and administrators could create much more interesting content for their audience than with just text. But keep one thing in mind: Consistency is important. And that both in visual form and in communication. You need to create content that connects and your readers/listeners/viewers can remember and connect with you. Only then will blogging and other content marketing activities work in your brand’s favor.
• be active in online presentation
Find suitable places and let the world know you exist. It really isn’t enough to own your website and wait for customers to find you. Work with social networks, and beware – there is not just one! Choose at least two carefully and feed them with regular posts. Don’t be afraid to use paid ads from the start. You determine the amount that such advertising will cost you. Don’t want to spend more than 80 CZK per day? Please, even this low amount can be set, for example, within Facebook ads. The promoted post is then shown to a select group of people, and if it catches your eye, you will encounter a flurry of stimulating reactions from Facebook users. Don’t forget to invite those who have shown interest to the group. In this way, we will secure new and probably very loyal followers.
In addition to the most famous Facebook, try the popular Instagram or bet on lesser-known social sites. How about Pinterest?
• organize competitions
Apart from social networks, try PR articles and contests. If you are selling a product or service, offer it for free as the main prize. Many online magazines will be happy for such an offer, as competitions attract new readers, thereby increasing traffic and value of the site. The competition challenge often also includes an accompanying text where the main prize is presented and where the contestants are looking for an answer to the competition question. Such a text is often read by more people than a regular PR article, and its reach increases considerably. However, they can also look for the answer directly on your website, where there is an increased chance that they will get to know the rest of the content as well. How does this affect your brand? A considerable one of course. Holding competitions seems generous – you are the one who wants to make someone happy and wants nothing in return. At the same time, in a non-violent way, you inscribe yourself in the memory of potential interested parties who, in the heat of the game, do not perceive the competition as a kind of advertising promotion and do not resist reading promotional materials that would normally leave them cold.
Competitions are more demanding to organize, but at the same time they are one of the most effective brand tools. It is suitable for acquiring new clients and for confirming existing ones that you are interested in them and that you value them favorably. Thanks to competitions and natural human competitiveness, such a marketing step will have many times more benefits than classic marketing procedures.
• narrate
People love a story, so create yours and tell it. A long history is a nice benefit, but don’t be discouraged if you can’t boast of many years of tradition. Even a newly started project has a certain past behind it. Tell your audience where you came from, where and when the initial idea was born, how you started to develop it, what happened to you before the actual implementation… Write down and present everything related to your project not only on a very important page « About us ». The form of such a page should again depend on the overall presentation of the company. If you’re betting on simplicity and expertise, don’t lose your serious but completely trustworthy face by talking about how the idea to start an e-shop was born in a pub. On the contrary, if your presentation is more relaxed, add a story about a local pub to the good.
• show your face
Many e-projects list contacts in the form of e-mail addresses, phone numbers, profiles on social networks, but still remain anonymous. Don’t you understand us? The point is that very few projects present the real people behind them. It’s a great shame, because such a relatively inconspicuous step can significantly strengthen your brand. If you offer a quality product, you don’t have to be afraid to show the real face/faces of the whole team. Incorporate photos of the people working on the entire e-project into your presentation – real photos that let your audience know that real people are sitting on the other side. People with a cheerful and friendly face, serious and professional… that is, with an expression that exactly corresponds to the targeting of the brand. In any case, don’t be afraid to be creative – both in the graphic design of the team’s presentation and in the accompanying text.
• have values
We already covered the topic in the paragraph « What is essential for branding? ». Having an idea is one thing, making a promise is another and third… the third important part is the values of your project. What is sacred to you? What sets you apart from the competition? What might interest your target audience? Values should permeate your entire brand. Identify one or several essential ones and actively promote them. Don’t forget to describe your values. The customer can think of anything under the term « environmental protection ». Does he really see you as a group of activists who choose very radical methods to achieve their goals? We doubt it. Yes, be to the point, but don’t be afraid to add a few extra words – show how you really mean it and don’t forget to include how you stick to the set values in practice. You have to believe in your values and get others excited about your values. If you’re doing it right, you’ll find out the moment you have a crowd of supporters behind you – that is, those who believed in the same values even before they met you, and at the same time those who were excited by you yourself. The second group is more valuable to you – they are people who will willingly respond to your every challenge.
• be active in the « live » world as well
Even offline promotion can significantly help to promote the brand. Try to organize a conference and invite capacities in the field. Whether you keep the conference open to the public for free or start selling tickets for a fee is up to you. However, do not forget about sufficient and timely promotion of such an event – just the fact that it appears in the information calendars of online magazines as well as in newsletters and invitations will significantly strengthen your brand. Name the event appropriately – the ideal is to skillfully incorporate the name of your brand into the name of the event. A video recording is also great, which you can then use as additional promotional material on your website and profiles on social networks.
Outside of larger conferences, training and organizing seminars are very effective. In both cases, there is personal contact with your target group. Such a one-on-one meeting often has a far more favorable and effective impact on strengthening your brand than sending thousands of e-mails and persistently posting on social channels.
Do not be afraid to speak, actively speak , organize events and at the same time participate in events where the role of the organizer is held by someone else.
Sponsorship is also a very rewarding strategy in strengthening the brand. A sponsorship gift does not have to take the form of only a financial amount. Physical help or donating the products and services you offer is just as beneficial. Thanks to sponsorship and charity, your brand will not only get space in the list of other donors and helpers, but will also gain a human dimension.
• monitor the results
Don’t forget to evaluate – monitor what your customers are interested in, which pages are input and which are output, where people come from, what they find you under, how long they stay with you… Only through thorough and regular evaluation will you discover which campaigns made sense, for what people respond better if it is beneficial for you to present on this and that social page. Compare with the previous period and carefully record the results obtained. Introduce your collaborators to them as well, they will certainly appreciate the feedback and, moreover, stimulate higher performance – visible results can be a strong motivation leading to the desired development of the project.
Use data from Google Analytics and your own social network counters for evaluation . Don’t forget to mark campaigns properly with utm parameters. This is the only way you can make an objective evaluation.
The frequency of evaluation depends on the nature of the e-project. The universal recommendation is monthly balancing. At the beginning of each month, perform an evaluation of all campaigns for the previous monthly period. Don’t forget to add a verbal evaluation of the development, including recommendations on what to work on and what to leave out.
Branding works on the basis of association – this is how we evaluate purchased products, services and service around. A lot of things we feel are better just because they come from a traditional, strong brand or from a brand that has an aura of excellence around it. Brand makes ordinary services and products something more. It moves them up, gives them importance. A really strong brand also becomes an important competitive advantage, which can lead to taking a monopoly position in a certain market segment. Build your brand and instill in your customers the idea that they cannot buy and find a better service or product anywhere.
What you MUST NOT forget, however, is honesty, truthfulness and quality. Without meeting these criteria, you will never achieve the much needed credibility and solid foundation of your brand. Don’t promise, act.
