by George Torok
©
2010
http://www.Torok.com Consider
these important questions about branding and the brutally honest answers that
could help you sell more and save you lots of money that is typically wasted on
branding. If you sell yourself as a branding expert - you might not like these
answers. These are frank answers that demystify branding. - What is
branding?
Branding is the ongoing process of creating and enhancing the brand.
The brand is the emotional connection that encourages your clients to cling to
the organization, product or person. It is important for you to understand that
branding is an emotional connection. And emotion is devoid of logic.
-
Why is branding important to business?
Effective branding builds that emotional
connection. The more emotional that your clients are about you, your company and
your product - the easier it will be for you to sell to those clients. You can
appeal to emotions instead of logic. Emotions, although more complicated, are
easier to influence than logic.
- What mistakes do companies make
with branding?
Many entrepreneurs get confused about branding. They believe
that branding is about logos, fonts and pantone colors. That happens because graphic
designers and advertising agencies, masquerading as marketing experts, claim that
branding is about image.
Often bad marketing decisions and wasted money
are justified with the phrase, "It's good for branding." Branding is
not the goal - it is a tool. The goal is to sell more.
Many corporations
fall into this trap. The corporate branding police insist that every PowerPoint
slide be a particular color, including the company logo and in the company fonts.
Readability and purpose are thrown out the window by the branding police because
they lose sight of the purpose and focus on the tool. Maybe they should be fired.
-
How can business build a strong brand?
A strong brand is about feelings. First
you need to decide the feelings that you want to evoke from your customers. You
need to be clear on your intended message and the mindset of your best customers.
You
can build feelings by the way you treat your customers. You need to treat them
in a manner that stands out from the competition. Southwest and WestJet airlines
demonstrate this well.
- Give an example of successful brands.
Nike and Coke are companies that built strong brands because of huge marketing
budgets and mass marketing over time. That's the most common way that most well-known
brands were built. Unfortunately it's too often emulated by small business as
the only way.
Harley Davidson and Buckley's cough medicine are examples
of branding built on creative positioning. That method is the smarter choice for
businesses without multimillion dollar advertising budgets.
- Is
branding the best marketing approach?
No. Branding is only one approach to
marketing. Marketing is about making customers want your product. Branding is
about building an emotional bond with your customers. It takes time to build that
bond. And branding requires one of two things in abundance - money or creativity.
-
What is the alternative to branding for small business?
Small business can
do something that's better than branding. They can build real relationships with
their clients. Big corporations can't do that. That's why big corporations spend
millions of dollars on branding. Small business has a better tool. They can build
real relationships.
When you are building your brand
ask the important questions and get the straight answers about branding.
Credit: About the Author: George
Torok is the coauthor of Secrets of Power Marketing - the first guide to personal
marketing for the non-marketer. Claim your free copy of "50 Power Marketing
Ideas" at http://www.PowerMarketing.ca Arrange for George Torok to speak
to your people or work with your team at http://www.Torok.com
or call 905-335-1887.
Related
Information: NBA
Benefit Provider - 1-800-flowers.com NBA
Resource Article - Branding:
How will they remember your company? NBA
Resource Article - Branding
- Make Your Business Unforgettable Reprint
of this article does not constitute an endorsement by the National Business Association;
the article is for informational purposes for our members and viewers of our Web
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