On the flip side, you can’t tell someone about a brand you can’t remember. Shoes are a commodity. It’s hard to argue that there has been a more impactful business leader in the modern age than Steve Jobs. In today's world, branding is more important than ever. It’s the story we tell someone when we meet them, “Hi, my name is Kaleb and I’m a Creative Director at a branding agency.” It’s the “I’m Batman” moment. Stop the bleeding. He then built a brand around it. Blast out everything (sometimes into the same ad) and see what sticks. This is why a professional logo design should be powerful and easily memorable, making an impression on a person at first glance. A brand built around tripping your customer’s emotions will always crush competitors who are talking about features and benefits. A clear brand strategy provides the clarity that your staff needs to be successful. Breaking into new markets or creating new markets from scratch. With creativity, skill and strategy, a brand can establish an identity that sets itself apart from the competition and sparks a connection with its audience. It’s not actually great if you can’t stay on target. Let’s look at 10 reasons why digging into your brand is important: Branding promotes recognition. It tells them how to act, how to win, and how to meet the organization’s goals. You’ll go to jail. ), and develop a personality that has a distinct identity. Why are we even talking about it, if it’s that basic? Regardless of whether you’re investing time and effort into crafting a compelling brand or paying no attention to it whatsoever, your business still ha… It’s the proverbial Elevator Pitch. Why Brand Identity Is Important A consistent, thoughtful brand identity is an important part of your sales strategy and business success. No, these companies are worth much more than their physical assets…their brand has created a value that far exceeds their physical value. Branding can be the deciding factor for consumers when they make a purchase decision. There you have it. If you deliver on that brand experience, you will reap the rewards. Now, don’t get me wrong. Why is branding important? The problem, of course, is that marketing isn’t free. Brand identity clarifies and forces focus. People are attracted to companies that are good, do good work and win. Basically everything they *think* and *feel*, which is why branding is so important. Speaking of bleeding, stop losing talented employees! You’ve learned some lessons along the way. Additionally, a strong brand website strategy, like backlinks, is critical to generating referrals or viral traffic. So why is branding important, then? Once you know what kind of company you are or are not going to be, have that story in place and targeted what emotions your customers should feel when working with you, it’s only natural, then, that your marketing and advertising efforts will tighten up dramatically. That’s the ever-elusive target that you want your entire team firing at and need to have in place before you can brand your business. Everyone wants to join a winning team. Yet, we all crave knowing where we’re going, what we’re reaching for. When you engage with a company that is well branded, there is just a “feeling” that comes over you. Leaving branding to the marketing department minimises its importance, and it could … A brand that is consistent and clear puts the customer at ease because they know exactly what to expect each and every time they experience the brand. (Don’t actually do that. As the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, states; “A brand is literally what people say about your business when you’re not in the room”. It is important to remember that your brand represents you…you are the brand, your staff is the brand, your marketing materials are the brand. A unique brand can have a huge impact on your bottom line by giving you a competitive advantage over your rivals and helping you acquire and retain customers at a much lower cost. What happens, then, is the shotgun approach. Time and missed opportunities are hands-down the greater damage. They want to know what they do and why they do it. Great branding possesses emotional power which builds trust in your clients, and every transaction requires trust. Learn more about why brand management is important. A clear brand strategy helps you stay focused on your mission and vision as an organization. If you need assistance with your brand, from creating your initial brand strategy to the visual identity elements, contact us for a free consultation…we’d love to help you identify and share your story! Companies should encourage employees to build strong personal brands because … How to Keep Your Brand Alive Online So, you’ve finally figured out your brand story. Six reasons why branding is important. Branding is an integral part of the marketing strategy, but it is not just another advertising campaign. 8 Reasons to Take Branding Your Business Seriously 1. That is why branding is so important to an organization. Simply put, a brand is the sum total of all the impressions a customer has, based on every interaction they have had with you, your company and your products. When your organization is clear on the brand and can deliver on the promise of the brand, you will see tremendous fruit while building brand loyalty among your customer base. A lot of companies cannot succinctly and interestingly tell you what they do, who they do it for and why they do it. If your branding is consistent and easy to recognize, it can help people feel more at ease purchasing your products or services. Each one of these interactions tells a story to your customers. Here are a few of the reasons why branding is important for a business – Gives An Identity To The Product The main purpose of branding is to name the product, assign it attributes (logo, colours, voice, etc. The perfect blend of brand characteristics (logo, colour, font, slogan etc), uniformity all over the world, and innovative associations have resulted in developing McDonald’s as the 6th most important brand in the world.. This is why it’s critical for RIT to have positive and meaningful interactions with our audiences as often as possible. They feel like they're a part of something significant and not just a cog in a wheel. Financial value. Notice how the arrow sweeps from the letter “A” to the letter “Z” symbolizing offering everything from A to Z. Lots of businesses waste time... 16500 Indian Creek Pkwy, Suite 104|Olathe, KS 66062|913.440.0672|888.299.9459|[email protected], Careers|Make Payments| Privacy Policy|© 2020 Strategy, LLC. Yet, there are companies, even in today’s labor force, who have no problems whatsoever filling open positions. They’re the “sexy” companies where people want to work because it’s the big player in a given space or they offer insane benefits or, most often, are doing “the coolest work.”. As humans, our opinions form very quickly— and they lend heavy influence to the decisions we make. What kinds of values you’ll need to live by to achieve it. A brand exists only in the minds of your customers. Everything clicks. By defining their brand so crystal clearly, Bezos was able to keep his team focused on what matters. So what is branding? Green Bay, WI 54303 How do you stand out from the thousands or millions of similar organizations around the world? But you can't simply build a brand like they did in the old days. And a great ancillary benefit of that promise is that it keeps you honest with yourself. In a highly competitive and visual led market place the 'look', styling and tone of your All it comes down to is a story and it’s something we all do—in our companies and in our personal lives. And money is the least important resource lost. Employer branding becomes even more important in highly competitive sectors where niche skill sets are in serious demand. Companies with clear stories are valued higher by customers and investors. Instead, you’ll be “the guy.” When someone asks your current customers how they solved X, Y or Z problem, your customers will say, “I have a guy who…” And guess what? It’s very easy to wander around from idea to idea with nothing to guide you…it doesn’t take long to be a long way from your original goals or plans. All Rights Reserved, How to Start a Business: A Quick Guide for Aspiring Entrepreneurs. We all want to be rational. You’re probably saying, “Okay, great, I believe you, Kaleb. Branding improves recognition And few today do it better than Nike. A guy who rolls into the gym a couple times a week and then rolls out and probably downs half a pizza and an IPA on the weekend. If reasons one through seven weren’t strong enough, this one has to be. Many small organizations and start-ups neglect to spend necessary time thinking about their brand in this broad sense and the impact it has on their business. After all, as we’ve said before, nobody buys what they don’t understand. What Should Your Brand Accomplish? Simply closing “transactions” is the death knell for a company. Branding is important for businesses of all sizes. So, why is employer branding so important? Make sure they are all telling the same version of that story and that they feel excited about it. They never compromised on that overwhelming goal and, through sheer willpower, hard work and business savvy have become one the most influential (for better or worse) companies on the planet. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that a strong brand will fix all your personnel issues. But, how did he do it? Anything less than that, any experience built around simply swiping a card or signing a contract then never hearing from that company again except in getting the service or product … well, you might as well be a vending machine. Defining a brand isn’t rocket science, but it does require human insight and keen storytelling skills. While a product or service is important, it is the brand that makes the company stand out from the other companies in its industry. If you don’t operationalize how you’ll live your brand and make it real, all the pretty words and pictures won’t make a difference. I’m a weekend warrior. Make Your Company Recognizable Developing a cohesive and professional brand identity is an important part of any effective branding strategy. Here are 5 reasons why branding is important for your small business. Developing a strong brand doesn’t always take millions of dollars, but it does take a lot of creativity and research. And why is it so important for your business? Whereas branding is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers (AMA) In short, branding is the way in which your customer perceives you when they hear or think of your company name, service or product. This may be a bit in your face. They know who they are, what they do, what customers get from working with them and what kind of satisfaction employees get from working for them. A promise is only as good as the actions that support it. People want to work for companies who do great things and great things are only great if they’re understood clearly and simply. Commodity consumer goods have had to find a way to do this for the history of commerce. Your full brand experience, from the visual elements like the logo to the way that your phones are answered, tell your customer about the kind of company that you are. But brand identity is much more than just checking boxes, picking colors, designing a logo, and printing business cards. But it’s true. It’s the story they tell their spouses, their children and parents and neighbors. You’re “the guy.” (Or gal, or hero or whatever other word you want to put in there.). Single. That leads to those who do work there having to pick up extra shifts, work mandatory overtime and just generally burn out that much faster. The concept of a business building a brand for itself is a pretty common idea today. Branding goes way beyond just a logo or graphic element. Think about the brands that you purchase from (Coca-Cola, Wrangler, Apple, Ford, Chick-Fil-A, QuikTrip)… are these companies really worth their equipment, their products, their warehouses, or factories? A strong brand will provide value to your organization well beyond your physical assets. Why Branding Should Not Be Left to the Marketing Department. It’s not a panacea. When you think about your brand, you really want to think about your entire customer experience…everything from your logo, your website, your social media experiences, the way you answer the phone, to the way your customers experience your staff. He leads creative messaging strategies and execution for our clients, with a focus on delivering an overall brand experience that connects strongly with customers. It’s a surefire way to make sure your future emails go unopened, that your future phone calls go unanswered and that your lame Christmas basket gets eaten, then discarded without anyone bothering to read the damn card. One of the major components of a brand is a logo because, as the “face” of a business,... 2. Published in Branding, Marketing, Strategy. It’s the Shark Tank show in a nutshell. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about why branding is important and answering the question: what is brand strategy, but we can’t stop there because there’s one very important reason why branding isn’t important. Simple, right? The very first reason branding is important, probably the most important reason, is that it very succinctly makes a promise to your customers. Branding is the nuanced art of actively shaping your brand. This is where you make sure that happens. Put all that together and you have the potential to drive real money into your company. And it’s all because of this single ad: If you didn’t get chills when he said, “Every. Does your website pass the test? The best branding is built on a strong idea… an idea that you and your staff can hold on to, can commit to, and can deliver upon. Your Website Is Your Sales Team Would you hire a... Make Data-Formed Decisions Quit making guesses about what your target audience is doing online. Companies with clear stories have employees who understand what they do and why they do it. Why is branding important? Personal branding is the application of business people and their line of work as brands. Turn your big idea into a success by launching your new business on the right foot. It is an evolving mechanism of expanding and preserving the reputation and significance of a person, group, or organization. Branding can be defined as the process of curating a distinctive and a unique name and image of the company or a product in the market and in the minds of the consumers through various advertising and promotional campaigns having a consistent message and a theme.. Getting this straight will impact your company in 8 surprising—and some not so surprising—ways. Companies with clear stories are able to move people’s emotions, which is key to moving sales. A good brand connects with people at an emotional level, they feel good when they buy the brand. Your brand represents your promise to your customers … and yourself. However, even though branding seems simple and seems like something you can do later when you have the time for it, I want you to think hard about what you stand to gain by getting it right and doing it now. Branding is important because not only is it what makes a memorable impression on consumers, but it enables your customers and clients to know what to expect from your company. Yet, from day one, founder Jeff Bezos knew he was going to build "an everything store.” Over the next several years, he worked tirelessly (and I mean tirelessly) to make that idea a reality. Why is branding important? Okay, on to the good stuff. So, let’s first understand how employer branding can help organizations in achieving their business objectives. They’re cheap, easy to make and don’t especially matter all that much to me from a performance standpoint. Good lord, it hurt just writing that paragraph. Not in life and not in business. Why Branding is important to football clubs; Comoros: Four islands, one dream; Betting Tips: Tottenham Vs Arsenal is our game of the day; Beckham travels to the future, returns to announce the end of Malaria; Walusimbi sees red as Express is held by Onduparaka; Mbarara against URA brands a popular draw game; Bamweyana salutes Wakiso debutants Why is Branding Important for Your Business? It’s generally unpleasant (though never surprising to either the client or us) because often what we identify is that the client’s past work has been scattered at best and self-destructive at worst. You are no longer competing on a local stage, your organization now competes in the global economy. Why branding is important and how to brand your business. In a 2015 global Nielsen survey, almost 60% of shoppers said they actively buy from brands they know, and 21% said they bought a product because they liked the brand.. Branding gives your business an identity beyond its product or service. How to Brand Your Business Is the Second Most Important Decision You’ll Make... For consumer products it’ll be everything from the packaging to the checkout process to the in-store signage or online presence. The return on investment will show itself sooner than later. Similarly, employer branding also finds its foundation in such concepts. It doesn’t matter how great it may sound. The main aim of Branding is to establish a noteworthy and distinguished presence in the market and the industry as a … What’s next? Every market and industry has them. The employer brand is affected by things such as how the company conducts itself in the market to how good the employer is to its employees. If we’re going to talk about the importance of branding, we need to first make sure we know what it is and isn’t. By knowing what your objectives are, what benefits you’re aiming for, you’ll make sure to consider all of these angles when you get into the work of rebranding a company or branding it in the first place. People wear brands, eat brands, listen to brands, and they’re constantly telling others about the brands they love. A good brand will reshape how you, your employees, your customers and your investors think about your company. The converse will also be true. If you want to tell a compelling story, first you have to know why you’re winning today (and probably why you aren’t, but that’s another article). Kaleb Schad is a creative director at Imaginasium. Kaleb brings deep experience in telling a brand story across all mediums with various clients from healthcare to manufacturing. In short, your brand is the way your customer perceives you. Your brand needs to permeate your entire organization. So before you even begin defining or redefining your brand, make sure you know the answers to these three questions: Sometimes it feels like a company’s vision is a finish line that is always “just over that next hill.” We all know there is no finish line. Purchasing is an emotional experience and having a strong brand helps people feel good at an emotional level when they engage with the company. A branding machine that is true, defined and humming along will carry your business to that next level. The purpose of branding is to create a loyal community of consumers around an idea and shared values, and, of course, to encourage using your products or services. and what you hope they feel and experience by working with you. Making sure customers could always find what they need, quickly and cheaper than anyone else out there. It’s simply the shorthand statement of who you are and what you can do for someone. That’s worth the effort. Let’s look at 10 reasons why digging into your brand is important: People tend to do business with companies they are familiar with. This includes solo entrepreneurs, online businesses, and even independent freelancers. 1) Strong Social Media Presence All of it happens when a company—whether new or established—has a powerful brand story. Let’s take a further look at the important ways brand building can impact ALL businesses: 1.) A company like Starbucks or Apple is more valuable because of branding alone. Here’s a helpful guide on how to start a business at any age. Yes, Amazon’s logo is a strong brand identity mark. Put in the effort to really understand your customers and their emotions, and then use that to guide every single marketing touch point from there on. Branding not only creates loyal customers, but it also creates loyal employees. If your branding is consistent and easy to recognize, it can help people feel more at ease purchasing your products or services. Day of my life,” I’m not sure you’re human. Some personal development practices center on personal growth. A quality brand gives people something to believe in and something to stand behind. Someone who changed the very way we communicate with each other. Olathe, KS 66062 Careers | Make Payment, © 2020 Strategy, LLC. It is critical to be aware of your brand experience and have a plan to create the brand experience that you want to have… a good brand doesn’t just happen… it is a well thought out and strategic plan. Branding Creates Trust When a company presents themselves in a professional way, and when there is social proof that their products and service are quality, prospects will trust that company and feel more comfortable giving it … At the end of the day, all this branding stuff really just comes down to this. Branding is important because it helps the public remember a company and its products and feel good about using them. It denotes success as a sort of self-packaging. Creating a brand identity requires research and attention to detail in order to develop a style that successfully meets the goals of a business and gives off the appropriate message. Okay, first thing’s first. How did he get 2,200,000,000 iPhones onto the planet? Today, game changers have realized that branding … What kind of workplace and culture you want your people to operate in. But it’s the promise behind it that made the difference. That story drives everything from sales to investments. This is it. There’s a reason “vision, mission and values” are often linked together like that—one leads to the other. And that means when a candidate has to choose whom to give her life to, she’ll likely pick you. A strong brand—a.k.a. But how do I create a strong story?” One word: emotions. Closely connected, yet different, is the flip side of engaging current employees … attracting new talent. People tend to do business with companies they are familiar with. Let’s say Kaleb wants a pair of shoes for working out. When you find a way to sum up your company’s entire promise of what it will be like to work with you and what’s in it for them into a few short emotional words, you’ve found your brand. Great branding makes a company more desirable to its target audience. Given how competitive the market is, small businesses stand even more to gain from it. One of the first steps in our branding process is a communications audit. If you build a brand around being innovative, but then provide a me-too experience, the marketplace will tell you loud and clear in lost sales and declining revenue that you are not living up to your promise. Able to move people ’ s goals along the way your customer ’ s a guide! Receive free marketing and technology insights and missed opportunities are hands-down the greater damage into success! Your people to operate in emotions will always require an investment can do for someone a wheel I believe,. 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