Got your brand...now what?

After writing what is a brand and do you need one? I thought it might be useful to add some tips on what to do next in a simple and easy to understand format.

Pulling it all together

Now you know your core competencies and your current brand positioning, you need start on defining your brand identity. (YOUR brand personality). To do this I would suggest you use the following key actions to help you get off to the best start.

1.       Decide who is going to LEAD the process for your business. It could be you if you have the time, or it could be an outside agency (can be expensive, so don’t forget your ‘budget’ setting and planning) or you can plan a regular resource/expert or you can pick a key employee who has shown interest and potential skill which you can develop under your guidance. Whoever it is – you must be 100% supportive of the process. Time is money, so don’t waste it. Having a great brand increases your business value, your customer reach and increases sales, so it’s well worth the effort of getting this right.

 

2.       Discuss your core competencies and brand values with your employees and customers. Remember what you think about your business is almost certainly not what everyone else thinks – you need to be realistic to build a brand you are happy with that fulfils your customer and employees needs. There is no point in having a product or service no-one wants to work for, with or have! Your brand must reflect what your customers and employees think about your business to have credibility.

 

3.       Note your agreed core competencies and brand values – make sure these do not conflict with your overall brand. If you claim ‘high quality’ and your customers and employees view the brand as cheap and cheerful your branding is already dishonest and damaged. With this image in their minds, how can you expect your employees to ‘sell’ well for you or your customers to ‘believe’ anything you do? Spend time defining what you mean: High quality can mean many different things to many different people – what does it mean to you and your business. ‘Cheap’ instantly sets an emotional connection but so does ‘cost effective’ or ‘good value’ – which would you rather be and what does it actually mean in relation to your business, product or service?

 

Creating your Brand

You have now worked on the following and should have lots of information which can help you build your specific messages which you can communicate to your customers. Use the check list below to make sure you have all the information you need.

1.       Core competencies

2.       Brand values

3.       Customer and employee likes and dislikes

4.       Perceived quality

5.       Brand stretch

If not read the previous blog and re-visit areas you are not sure about.

If you have all the relevant information here are some key pointers on how to create your brand. Build your message into everything your employees, customers or potential customers see and hear before they actually have any direct contact with you are your business.

1.       Review all your company literature – does it reflect your brand values?

2.       Review your company logo, stationery etc to ensure it reflects your brand values and provides immediate visual link to them

3.       Review your advertising – is it good value? Is it in places that reflect your brand values? Does the copy and content reflect and re-affirm your brand?

Make sure your staff understand the brand values and believe in them!

1.       Involve staff in developing your brand – staff engagement works! If you are a sole trader, it still applies – if you don’t believe it what would anyone else! See a later article on personal branding and marketing.

2.       Your employees’ attitude and behaviour will influence the success of your brand more than any other form of promotional activity you do. For example, if you have ‘excellent customer service’ as a brand value and one customer believes your staff don’t listen or care then you have damaged your brand (business) Word of mouth travels much quicker and is more effective than any advertising campaign.

Review your systems and make sure every point of contact that a customer or potential customer has reflects your brand values

1.       If you have a loyalty scheme and the customer cannot see what points they have easily they won’t use it

2.       If you claim to be friendly and your staff are not you have damaged the brand and broken ‘trust’ and ‘expectation’

3.       If you are always there to help but actually shut then you are NOT always there to help are you?

4.       If you offer discounts, but the text is so small that the customer didn’t see it was a limited offer and they drove 40 miles to get it and you say read the small print!!! How would you feel if it was you? regardless of whether you are right or wrong you just lost a customer!

5.       If you offer fast and efficient service and your customer feedback says ‘fed up with waiting at tills’ ......does that tell you something needs to be done?

Managing your brand

A brand does not work instantly, it develops over time and gets stronger as long as your business communicates consistently and delivers your brand values to your customers.

Here are some tips for managing your brand

1.       Keep all your employees involved in your business and brand. They are responsible for delivery of your brand values, and the more involved they are, the more responsible they will feel. Think about a regular staff meeting or manager briefings to re-enforce and inform.

2.       Discuss the brand values regularly with staff- be clear about what you mean and what is expected

3.       Encourage ideas and feedback to improve systems and ensure you deliver your brands values more effectively. It’s amazing what people on the front line know if you ask.

4.       All the above applies if you are a sole trader – what do you clients’ think of you and your service? Did you deliver what they expected?

 

Monitor your brand

 

Monitor your customers’ response to your brand regularly and set regular reviews of your brand and how you communicate your brand values

 

1.       Get regular feedback from friendly customers and find out if what your business is doing for them matches their expectations

2.       Ask dissatisfied customers or former customers the same – this is sometimes the ‘best’ learning’ you can get

3.       Set regular reviews of you products, services and systems to make sure they are effective and efficient at delivering your brand values and messages. For example a 20k advertising campaign in local meat trader  magazine will not be seen by 99% of your  butcher shop customers

 

Attract new customers

Now you are confident that your brand is established and growing with your staff and existing customers’ use it to attract NEW CUSTOMERS.

1. Use  your core competencies to demonstrate to new /potential customers what you can do for them (not just what you do)
2. Make sure you are targeting your kind of customers
3. Make sure that your message is consistent with your brand values and what you offer your existing customers. It’s easier and more cost effective to retain then gain!
4. Advertising, sales literature, presenters etc to potential customers must be visually and emotionally consistent – this doesn’t mean you can’t offer incentives to gain business BUT think about a loyal customer seeing this and thinking – “I’ve been loyal for 5 years and I don’t even get a phone call let alone a 10% discount!”...........think about all your customers and how you will communicate overall.

Extend your brand

A successful brand can offer many opportunities for expansion and business growth. You must be aware though that introducing new offerings, services or products means that you need to run through the above process again to ensure that these are aligned to your exiting and established brand and its values. For example, although lucrative, a successful Vet may not be best aligned with a pet cemetery (but it may work with real consideration and clarity of message etc). Also stretching a brand too far may not be a good idea and can damage the core brand.

A good example of brand stretching is how the globals’ do it.

They have the company branding and then individual brands with individual personalities underneath – like Unilver has DOVE and Lynx but they also do food and healthcare as well as personal toiletries.

So, check if you new product or service fits your brand and if not consider a separate brand with its own unique values.

Golden rules to consider and use as a checklist

Always think about what your business achieves for your customers and ensure you structure your business around this delivery

1. Are you focussed on your customer needs without allowing your customer to dictate to you? Its’ your brand, not your customers’ – you cannot change it for one customer or you will confuse all your others and yourself
2. Do you do everything you can to ensure your message/communications/literature etc is delivered consistently......even down to how the phone is answered or your letterhead is printed?
3.  Do your customers feel that you are providing them with exactly what your brand promises?
4. More than anyone, your staff delivers your promises. Do they understand what they are and what you expect of them?
5. Do you keep them up to date with changes and the latest information to ensure they deliver effectively?
6. Do you ask for ideas and feedback?
7. Do you use this feedback and let them know you value it?
8. Do you meet and exceed your brand promises to customers and staff?
9. How often do you review your brand and its values against information you receive?
10. Do you look inward out or outward in...?Or both?