WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?
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| When you started your business or took the helm of a company that's been around for awhile, you did so with a sense of what it is that makes your company special. When you know your business's unique qualities, as a product or service and are able to communicate it to your customers -- that, in its simplest form, is Branding. |
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When you have a clear concept of your brand, every action your
business takes becomes an opportunity to strengthen and build that brand in the minds of your audience. Remember, your brand is who you are and how your audience knows you. It serves as a portal to everything you do - a concept that represents your entire business: value proposition, quality, pricing, people, relationships, reputation, service, innovation, corporate stewardship, etc. Discover and nurture your brand identity in the marketplace, by crafting a selling premise that communicates these positive elements -- whatever it is that represents the heart and soul of your company. Does your brand suggest the promise of your product or service that will make the buyer more successful, better looking or happier? These values need to be delivered with continuity through all media networks. This may include, but not limited to, your logo, positioning statement or tagline, your collateral and ads. Perceived quality is the only brand association to drive financial performance. Think about the brands that you buy and why. |
If You're a Start-Up...
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| Developing a successful brand, for a start-up business, in some ways may be easier and in others more difficult. It's easier because there are no historic negatives to overcome. On the other hand, without customers, there is no way to accomplish actionable research as to what customers think of you and your product or why they purchase from you. With a brand-new business, the sky's the limit as to what you can say about your business and what it offers. Backing it up is the challenge. However, without a track record, how do you deliver believability to your promises? |
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A new business should first concentrate on the competition within its
chosen industry. What makes you different and better? Vigorous competition results in price pressure and difficulty in gaining and holding on to a position. Discover which benefits you can communicate to separate your business from that competition and result in sales.
Limited financial resources, for marketing, may be a detriment when competing
with established, well funded firms. This is where branding is even more critical. If you remain true to who you are as a business, develop the right messaging when communicating to your audience and remain consistent, you can overcome and beat out the competition. |
If You're an Existing Business?
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The challenges for an existing business are just the opposite than those
of a start-up. As a company that's been around for awhile, there may be some history that needs to be built upon or overcome. There is the benefit of having a customer base that can be surveyed for actionable information. Surveying the customer base should be an on-going and regular process. Are they happy with your product or service? Why do they continue to buy from you? If possible, even query those customers you've lost. Established businesses also have an advantage in knowing and understanding their competition. Of course, updating and readdressing the brand may be necessary. You don't look, dress or even think the way you did a number of years ago. We don't use the same phone, computer or get our information in the same way we did before. The proliferation of new media demands change. Communicating the benefits of the things we sell and who we are, if working, shouldn't be changed. How we communicate those benefits must change with the times. |
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Use the Lippi & Co. QR Code
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In a Nut Shell...
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Let's look at the ways to cohesively structure your brand identity making it easier to gain recognition.
- Visual Imagery - The Nike Swoosh
- Projecting what your organization stands for - Fundamental values
- Programs can create a recognizable brand (i.e., Ronald McDonald House)
- Value Proposition - Functional Benefit, Emotional Benefit which
creates a relationship with the customer and drives purchasing decision and reassures that they have selected a quality company. |
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Lippi & Co. is now offering a
FREE BRAND AUDIT!
If you are a viable, licensed business and want to take advantage of this offer contact me.
Larry Lippi
704.995.9966
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