If you walked into a McDonald’s, you’d probably know at least half of the food items they offer without even looking at the menu, even if you’ve never been inside one before. That’s how effective their brand build process has been over the years.
Even small companies are recognizing that creating a successful brand leads to more customers. But it’s not always so easy to figure out how to create a brand.
Learning how to build a brand takes some time and deep thinking. You need to dig deep and learn a lot about your company and your customers in order to be successful.
But when you find a winning combination, it can make a huge difference to your business and the type of people you attract.
In this article, we are diving into the process of how to establish a brand that makes the right people sit up and take notice.
Start Your Brand Build by Learning More About Your Customers
If you believe that your product or service is something “everyone” will enjoy, you’re wrong. Even Amazon doesn’t have 100% of the market.
With every business, there are people far more likely to become a loyal customer than others. Your first priority is to find out exactly who they are.
The more you know about your top customers, the easier it is to find effective ways to reach them. Factors like age, gender, and income levels are good ways to begin.
Figure out where and how these people live. Determine how they spend their free time, and what they do for work.
While some information may vary, usually there are common interests or factors most of them share. Once you have that information, it’s much easier to build a successful branding and marketing strategy.
Make a Brand Based on the Core Values of Your Company
56% of Americans will stop purchasing items from brands they feel are unethical. 64% of customers are more likely to shop with a business that shares the same values as they do. People only buy from those they know, like, and trust – whether it’s an individual person or a large enterprise.
Figure out why you’re in business in the first place. Determine what your real goals are.
Write down your morals and values that you want to bring to your company. Share them with your employees.
Then find a way to share them with your customers. People buy from people, not businesses. The more you have in common with your customers, the more loyal they’ll remain.
Set Yourself Apart from Your Competition
Coca-Cola and Pepsi both make very similar products. Yet they have some fiercely loyal customers who swear the two sodas taste completely different.
That’s because both companies have heavily researched their competition. They know exactly what each company does well. And they know exactly what they’ve failed at.
Researching your competition allows you to learn what to do and what not to do. And it helps you find ways to separate your company from the competition.
Find ways that make your company unique and start sharing those differences with your customers. This is your brand identity.
Developing a brand identity and voice helps sets the tone for how you want people to talk about your company.
Create a Brand Logo
A small, white apple with a bite taken out of it. It’s simple, yet incredibly powerful. Everyone knows that’s the Apple logo.
Creating a logo is another way for your customers to easily recognize your brand. Find an image that is powerful.
Choose a font that is easy to read yet sets you apart from your competition. And choose colors that best represent your company. Color improves brand recognition up to 80%.
Make sure to create a logo that can stand the test of time, as Quaker Oats has done. While the famous icon has gotten a makeover from time to time, since the 1800s, he’s been an iconic brand figure.
Start a Blog
Content is king and always will be. A blog is a great way to share your brand with new and existing customers.
It’s also a way to set yourself up as an expert in your field. And a great way to set yourself apart from your competition.
Blogs are considered a trusted source of information. Plus, it’s easy to formulate for SEO purposes.
A blog is also a great source of material to use on social media. The problem with blogging is not everyone is a great writer. And some claim they don’t have time.
But it’s too much of an integral part of your business to ignore. Your choices are to either hire a professional blog writing service or set aside 30 minutes to an hour to write an article.
Even if people don’t read your blogs, just seeing that you are actively producing content related to your industry builds trusts and creates a positive brand association experience with every impression.
Get Online Reviews and Testimonials
91% of your customers are reading reviews and testimonials about your business. 84% of them trust these online reviews as much as they do a friend personally making a recommendation.
Even as few as five reviews can make a huge difference. And there are tons of ways to get online reviews these days.
You can have a testimonials page on your site where customers can leave their own review. You can claim your Google Business Listing and ask customers to leave reviews there.
There are also tons of sites like Yelp or Angie’s List where the entire premise is for customers to leave reviews. No matter what type of business you’re in, reviews help people learn more about and trust your company before they’ve even attempted to make a purchase or contact you.
Have a Social Media Presence
Creating a brand means getting involved with social media. You don’t have to build a profile on every single social media site out there (and you shouldn’t).
There are over 100 social media sites, and it takes time and effort to create a brand on each site. Instead, start by determining which site(s) your customers are most likely to spend time on.
Once you have pinpointed the best site(s) to reach your niche audience, it’s time to build up your presence on that site. Make sure that the brand you’re building is represented on this site.
It should have the same look and feel as your website and all your marketing materials. Then, develop a consistent marketing strategy. Don’t just post once every few months, post several times a week.
People have to see your brand consistently before they’ll begin responding. But if they don’t see you at all or only sporadically, then it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Improve Your Customer Service
If you think customer service isn’t part of your brand, you’re wrong. And that belief can quickly ruin your business.
Let’s go through some customer service stats. 50% of your customers will stop a transaction or service because of bad service. 33% will consider switching to another company if they have a bad customer service experience when doing business with you.
Your employees are just as much a part of your brand as you and your business are. That means how how they act and what they say will all contribute to a customer’s experience.
Think of all the bad press Dunkin’ Donuts has received lately because of poor customer service that reeked of racism. Their brand has suffered as a result of Dunkin Donuts employees, and in some cases, franchise owners have behaved poorly when dealing with their customers.
While people will tend to talk more about their bad experiences, this isn’t always the case. News of stellar service spreads as well. Your focus should be on promoting your brand through excellent customer service with each and every customer you handle.
Delight your customers, and your brand equity will blossom!
Be Consistent
Whether you eat at franchised eateries or not, you know that no matter which one you enter, you’re getting the same quality of food. And you pretty much expect a similar experience at all of them.
That’s because franchises recognize how powerful consistency is. People want to know what they’ll expect even before they do business with you.
Brand building is about creating a consistent message with everything you do. That means your website, logo, social media presence, customer service, and business cards all need to share the same consistent message.
But being consistent also means sharing your message and your brand on a consistent basis. You can’t just write a blog article and then stop for a few months.
You can’t have employees wear uniforms one day and then let them wear whatever the next. You can’t change your logo three times in one year.
None of these actions help others take notice of how consistent your company is. Your goal is to build trust. One way to do that is to prove time and again that your company can provide great service and products each and every time.
Get Help Branding Your Business
Creating a brand isn’t always easy. It’s hard to take a deep look at yourself and your company and figure out what your core values are.
You may need some help. Ask your employees to help out, but don’t be afraid to dig deeper. Sometimes, an expert is your best option.
If creating a brand build your customers won’t soon forget is your priority, we can help. Click here to start the process!