Whether you’re thinking about launching a business or already have one, you need to put a lot of thought into what your brand looks like. Not enough business owners do that, and it ends up costing them in the long run.
50% of businesses go under within five years of launching, and only four out of ten remain after ten years. Having sold brand management can help prevent that sort of disaster from happening.
To help you market your brand effectively, we’ve compiled this list of brand guidelines. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know exactly how to skyrocket your business.
Read on to learn about seven brand marketing tips that can help you elevate your brand.
1. Explain Why
Customers are always on the hunt for goods and services that make their lives easier. Make sure your brand takes the time to explain exactly how its products will benefit the lives of those who buy them.
Tell people why your products will add value to their lives. Will they make someone’s life easier or more enjoyable? If people don’t know, they won’t buy.
In addition to explaining the benefits of your products, you also need to explain why your company is the right place to get them from. Why should someone shop from your brand as opposed to one of your competitors?
2. Create A Set Of SMART Goals
Many new companies lack focus and direction and end up investing too much energy into multiple pursuits. Instead of doing that, create a set of SMART goals that you can work towards.
SMART stands for:
- Specific: Set goals with concrete figures and real deadlines
- Measurable: Make sure you can track your brand’s progress towards achieving the goals
- Attainable: Your goals need to be challenging, but realistic
- Relevant: Know what you and your company are capable of when deciding on goals
- Time-based: Don’t be vague—all of your goals need a target deadline
By creating SMART goals for your brand, your chances of success increase astronomically.
3. Target A Specific Group Of People
Remember that the brand you build needs to relate to a specific group of people. If it doesn’t, it won’t be successful, no matter how good everything looks.
You need to have a solid idea of the type of person that buys your products. Take the time to figure out their age, gender, wants, and needs. Once you do that, you’ll have a better understanding of how you should market your brand to them.
For example, if you discover that your average customer is a 65-year-old retiree, using Gen Z language and investing money in Instagram campaigns probably won’t land you much success.
4. Focus On Being Authentic & Unique
You never want someone to visit your company website and be unable to tell what sets your brand apart. If customers can’t identify unique or differentiating factors, they’ll move on to someplace where they can.
While it’s fine to draw inspiration from other businesses and creators, make sure to always be unique. Your brand needs to have a palpable taste that people can pick up on.
Having a brand story can help you create that flavor. Help customers see who they’re working with when they buy from you. Help put a face behind the brand.
5. Understand The Competition
You might have a great idea for a business, but there’s a good chance that someone has already had that same thought. Before you make any brand decisions, spend some time researching your competitors.
Have a clear idea of who they are, what they offer, and what makes them unique. If you can, try and spot their strengths and weaknesses. Doing this helps you identify market gaps that you can fill.
Stopping to investigate your competitors might not seem important, especially if you feel like you have a special or unique idea. But conducting some market research early on will benefit you in the long run.
6. Create A Recognizable Style
Modern brands invest a sizeable chunk of their budgets into creating a recognizable style that customers see and appreciate. Take the time to do this for yourself.
Something as simple as word choice or the position of text on an image can have a huge impact on the impression that your brand gives off. Make every creative decision carefully, and always ask for input and advice from those around you.
If you’re stressing about the design aspects of your brand, don’t worry. There are plenty of powerful tools that can help you out with everything from fonts to favicons. You can even get a website logo from a free logo maker.
7. Be Consistent
Once you have a specific brand voice and style, stick with it! It should permeate its way into everything that you create and sell.
To help you remember the important points, consider creating something like a mood board. These provide you with a place to highlight all of the most important elements of your brand.
Companies that don’t have a consistent brand voice (or don’t have any brand voice at all) appear unprofessional and chaotic. Most people won’t want to buy from such a business, so stay consistent.
Brand Management Made Easy
Brand management can be a challenge for many companies, especially for those that are just getting starting. However, it doesn’t need to be that difficult.
Use this guide as a resource to help you better understand brand marketing. In doing so, you’ll have no problem creating a brand that people know, recognize, and trust.
Are you looking for more business branding guides and tips? If so, make sure to check out the rest of the content on our site.
