Brands are like people really; we remember the interesting ones, not the wallpaper.

Do you feel your brand doesn’t set you apart? Maybe the downward spiral of your sales has you alarmed. NOW is the time to revisit what it was you set out to build.

Every single interaction with your brand should be consistent, and remind the consumer why they should be loyal to you. It’s important that your brand values and personality come from the truth of who you are and what you’re selling. It has to be sustainable and you have to be able to ‘live it’ everyday. Not just via your packaging or logo but through your behaviour, your website, everything.

So how does a small to medium enterprise go about building a strong brand?

It is commonly accepted that brands accelerate business performance.  The approach I take is a one of a business development process and I use four simple steps:

1. Brand Strategy – understanding the market and your customers.
2. Brand Identity - choosing and developing outward expressions.
3. Brand Management – applying those chosen elements.
4. Brand Experience – designing the customer experience.

Each step is as important as the other. Unfortunately, businesses tend to focus on brand identity alone.  The outward expressions we use are highly important but are only part of a continuing process. These elements include your brand name, slogans, logos and symbols. These are used to express the brand we build and develop, however we need to be clear on our message first before we decide on expressions.

Every business must be clear on what product/services they deliver, what they want their customers to experience and more importantly how and why they are different from their competitors.  Ask yourself: Why would a potential customer choose to put their hand in their pocket and spend their money in your business and not the competitors?

After answering those questions, start to focus on how to express the values of your brand. However, remember you need to have a strategy for your brand development and you need to monitor and control it through brand management.  Finally, visit the experience your customers have each time they are in contact with you. Each and every single time is an opportunity.  This process is not a once off – brand building never ends.

Where are you now?
If you starting a business you should start by exploring your market, customers, competitors and make decisions based on your vision, strengths and sustainable competitive advantage. If you are currently in business and are at an assessment point, you need to revisit your initial goals but also be realistic about the current market situation. Why did you start a business? More importantly where are you now? What are your future strategies that will get you where you need to be?!

Remember, the single biggest benefit of building a strong brand is not, as some people think, more sales.  A powerful brand lets you command, and defend, the right price for your products and services. The impact on your bottom line and the value of your enterprise is far greater than a mere sales increase.

Don’t be afraid to stand out. Be afraid to blend in….

Relevant Links

www.businessconsult.ie