We, as human beings, have been a very creative species. We have created language and symbols that represent our most important aspects of life. Businesses have had to create a language of their own to create an image of who works for them and what they stand for.
When I think of branding, I think of all the business strategies that a company communicates to gain my business. This is an elaborate dance where detailed steps are needed to complete a complicated number.
Let us take a few steps backward and see why a brand is important to us…
Branding is not a new concept. We, as a species, have been developing “brands” for millennia. From the days when goods were placed in the ancient market places, there were goods and services that were acceptable and there were those that were not.
At first it was crude. People yelling out the items as they were coming off of ships, wagons and donkeys. As we evolved symbols and pictures started being painted on signs for the illiterate mass population. Even further in to the ensemble we created advertisements as descriptions on papyrus then on paper.
Fast forward to today and…
We are utilizing everything from traditional marketing (print), social media marketing, internet marketing and word-of-mouth campaigns to communicate our message to our prospective audiences. And it’s working!
Brands today consider all the cultural history we have placed as significant to their branding needs. They are using the colors we associate with emotion to emphasize their relevance. They are using words that remind us of comforts in life to communicate why we should choose them. Quite frankly, it is genius how well a brand’s strategy places itself in to our lives.
How do you create a positive and meaningful brand these days?
Simple. Companies must look at their overall goal and answer if they:
- Have a paying market available to them
- Have an idea worth going in to business with
- Have the right people
- Have a superior product
- Have the means to promote a superior product
Communicate to people why you are the best choice for them without bombarding them with needless fluff. People aren’t stupid. They know how to sift through the garbled nonsense.
Build your brand honestly. Show your audience what you represent as a company through imagery, relevant information and having a quality product compared to your competition. These steps can be taken through many paths, all of which were mentioned above.
Some techniques work better than others. It’s all about knowing your audience and knowing which medium works best for them. So get out there and do the boogie boogie!
Advertisement:
