A Company's Brand Builds Trust that Builds Sales
By Steve Merrick, Director of Business Development at Metro Studios
Branding is much more than a logo, an image or even a name. It is a person’s overall perception of a company’s product or services that is built over time. A promise to the customer. Every time a customer comes in contact with a brand, he or she will have a positive or negative experience. These experiences will add to the perception of your brand. Those experiences will be filed away in the mind and recalled when it comes time to buy. How do you want your brand to be remembered when it comes time to buy?
The fact is, your company has a brand whether you realize it or not. Your products or services, your advertising and marketing—even your employees—already present an image to the world at large. You may come off as good, bad, ugly, large, small, friendly, impersonal, smart, or not so smart.
Always be aware of the image perceptions you are portraying because consumers receive this information, interpret it, form opinions and make purchase decisions.
Also your customers, competitors and suppliers interpret the same information and form their own opinions, too.
Who are you? What does your company stand for? What do you believe in? What can you promise? More importantly, what can you deliver? What makes your company different from anyone else doing this? These are basic questions that have to be answered by every company in order to win customers.
If you don’t market your brand yourself, others will do it for you. And you may not like the results. A company always has to be cognizant of the image being portrayed. A proactive plan should be developed to manage the positive perceptions of the brand along with strategies and tactics to address any negative perceptions
Strong brands affect attitudes and opinions. Brands have value. Just check out Fortune Magazine’s list of Most Admired Companies in any industry. See how their admiration index coincides with revenue figures. Strong brands build trust; a critical element in the purchasing decision. General Electric for second year in a row was named the most admired company. Starbucks moved to second place and Toyota Motors was 3rd. Google and Apple also moved up in the top 10 ranking. Each of these companies projects a positive brand image in the mind of the consumer and is top of mind when the time comes to make a purchase decision. Each of these companies has delivered on its promise to the customer and is trusted.
There are proven tactics that solidify a brand in the marketplace and in the minds of consumers.
1. Own that “One thing”—You can never be all things to all people, so spend your time focusing on one clear message. Volvo owns “Safety” in the car industry because it has focused on that single message for decades.
2. Be consistent—A consistent presentation will ensure that your customers recognize you. Be consistent in your use of identity (logo and positioning statement), visual elements (design and photography), tone and voice (copy) and employee contact with prospects and customers alike. Make sure you look and sound the same every time you come in contact with a customer. McDonald’s “Golden Arches” are one of the most recognized icons in the world because they have not changed for over 50 years.
3. Have a relevant message—Understand your target audience. Know what makes them tick, know how to talk to them, and remember the conversation should always be about the audience—NOT ABOUT YOU.
4. Motivate with a strong offer—You don’t want the audience to just remember your name- you want them to buy from you. Always move them to action with a strong offer to motivate them to buy.
A company needs to start building that positive brand perception now and constantly do what is necessary to maintain it to be a top of mind choice by consumers when they are ready to make that purchase decision.
