Marketing: Your Brand Is About More Than Just Good Looks
First let's clear up a common misconception of what a "Brand"
really is. A brand is more than just your company's name or
logo. It's more than just a particular type of product you offer
such as Q-tips brand of cotton swabs. It's more than just the
look of the packaging of your product. In a nutshell your
"Brand" is the culmination of everything your prospect's 5
senses can pick up on about you.
It's the image you present at all times. From the company's logo
and color scheme all the way to the manner in which your
employees dress.
It's what your prospect hears from and about you. From what they
hear about you in the media to how your customer service team
handles incoming complaints.
It's the feeling your prospect gets in all their dealings with
you. From their satisfied or unsatisfied interaction with you to
the relationship building activities you carry out.
It's the pleasant or unpleasant scents that get associated with
you covering everywhere from the scent of your product or
facility, to even your employees.
And lastly it's also the tastes that get associated with you.
From the taste of your product (if it's a product meant to be
tasted) to the quality of coffee or tea you serve.
As you are probably beginning to see the picture I am painting
for you, your brand encompasses everything about you. Hence you
can see why it's important to always put your best foot forward.
Let's take this one step further. Even more important than being
perfect in your eyes, is being consistent in the prospect's eyes.
Consistency is the key to branding. It is terrible branding
practice and just plain unacceptable to offer great service one
day, and bad service the next. You are better off being
consistently mediocre. Then at least the customer knows what to
expect and is generally more satisfied. Another example of bad
branding is having a different look and feel for your website as
compared to your other marketing collateral (e.g. business
cards, brochures, etc.). Ultimately, your prospect should be
able to recognize you at a quick glance - just by colors, design
style, logo, etc.
For instance, let's take the fast food retailer McDonalds. They
have done a spectacular job at branding. Their food tastes
consistently the same no matter which location you eat at -
essentially around the world. What you see, hear, feel, smell,
and taste are pretty much consistent and acceptable across the
board.
Bottom line, branding is essential to establishing your identity
in the marketplace and consistency is the key to effective doing
that. Prospects want consistency! Consistency breeds comfort and
comfort is an aspect of relationship building - a key marketing
strategy.
© 2005 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.
About the author:
Dean Mercado is an Internet marketing coach, strategist, author,
and speaker. Dean and his company Online Marketing Muscle help
entrepreneurial professionals leverage the power of Internet
marketing to turn their businesses into money magnets. Visit
Online Marketing Muscle for many more Internet marketing tips.
Written By: Dean Mercado