Today, branding is a trendy word. Everybody uses this term. But before explaining in details what branding is, let me give you three fallacies about branding. At The Branding Agency, we spend a lot of time explaining this to our prospects and customers.
Branding is NOT marketing
Many people and companies confuse branding and marketing. This is wrong! Marketing is the study of customers in order to communicate the promise that you want them to know about. So, marketing is a part of a bigger process that is branding.
Branding is NOT a Logo
We identify many companies by their logos. Take Apple, Google or DIOR for example. All these brands have an easy to remember emblem or logo. But logo is not branding. It’s just a symbol that represents the brand. Generally, design is not branding. All the visual aspects of a brand are a part of the brand strategy exactly like marketing. But we can’t define them as branding.
Communication and advertising areNOT branding
Companies spend millions in communication and advertising. People receive hundredsof requests every day. They’re spammed by unwanted ads. The old way of communication doesn’t care about customers, they focus on selling their products or services. All the communication efforts are based on the products and the characteristics and never on the customer. This is not branding.
Ok, so what is branding?
Branding is gotta feeling about customer. It’s the image that is in their minds. Branding is what they think about your company not what you think. It’s the promise you offer them when they buy from you. Branding is not only attracting customers, it’s building a relationship with them. The goal of branding is to make customers loyal and be willing to buy from you again and again.
How to build brands?
This question is the most important in my eyes. Because without a strong strategy, companies could not last for decades.
Differenciation
One of the most important pillars of a brand strategy is differenciation specially if you are new in the business. Differenciation tries to respond to the question: why are different? Why people buy from you and not from your competitors.
Innovation
Innovation is also another way to do branding. When we talk about innovation, it doesn’t only concern technology. Every company can innovate their service, their offers or their client relation. You must see innovation as a new way of providing value to your customers.
Employeeengagement
Before communicating your promise to your customers, it’s important to share it with your employees first. When you build your brand, you must engage them in the process and ask for their feedback. How could customers trust you if your employees don’t.
Relation
A brands can’t stand without fans. If you want to build strong brands, you must take care of your customers and create a relationship with them. You can engage with them using social media or email marketing. It’s important to share with them. As any relation, both the parties have to connect to each other. Try not to talk about your products or services but ask them what they want or what they think about you.
