The Hard And Smart Work Is The Real Job Of Branding

The branding process is often linked to a moment:

• Idea of a breakthrough
• A new name or new brand identity
• A new strategy

These moments are visible and powerful, but they are not brand building.

Brand building is a process in which you make small improvements day by day to serve your customers. This is the piece. Work hard to improve your business a little.

But those bits are where you really get a competitive advantage:

• Creating operational efficiencies so that you can keep up with the demand to deliver your products on time and on budget.
• Hiring and training great people so that they can provide exceptional customer service every time.
• Take time to listen, analyse and understand your customers so that you can create products and services that are truly valuable and unique in the market.

How good is your brand for your business operations. If you are not paying attention to those difficult things, then you cannot build a strong brand. Without a clear strategy, you can get overwhelmed and busy, but not really make the changes that drive your business forward.

So it's not just grinding, it's a strategic piece!

For example, re-brand companies will experience a sales lift for six to twelve months. Because they are proud of their brand, and they tell everyone about it. This naturally creates brand awareness which increases sales.

Brand strategies are derailed by the unstable desire of the organization to maintain balance. Your company has the systems, culture and talent necessary to maintain status quo - where you are now:

• Rate of growth
• Profitability
• Employee satisfaction, turnover and retention
• Brand awareness
• Customer engagement

If you look at the figures of the last few years, you will find that your business is in a state of equilibrium. A good place to look is in your sales performance matrix:

• Average number of new sales per month
• Average selling size
• Customer churn
• Customer lifetime value

Strategy execution is one of the most important elements of sticky branding's approach to working with customers. It is a core value, and is included in all our practices.

In fact, the first step in our strategy work is to teach our clients a set of principles on strategy execution. This lays the foundation for how we will align the team, set expectations, measure performance and get things done.

When you do the right thing on the right priorities, you do great brand building. It is often not all that rewards but it matters the most!

Branding has an identity crisis

Ask anyone for the definition of "branding" and you will get a different answer. This is crazy, but true.

When it comes to the definition of "brand", it is very easy. “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

There are many things that affect customer perception: marketing and promotion, product functionality and design, market specificity or reputation, customer experience and relationships, customer service, operations, size and scope of your business, etc. This means that "branding" cannot be included in some subset of marketing.

Branding is your organization's strategy to engage customers. So they like it, trust it and buy.

Personal Branding

Everyone has a personal brand. As a business, your brand is your reputation. It tells how people see you and what they say about you. You only have one brand to be a professional and work every day. Personal branding is not for those who only want a positive reputation. Personal branding is for those who want to be famous.

When you look at your organization and see people you admire, chances are their reputation exceeds their network. They reach and influence many people. Anyone can develop their personal brand, be an influential member of their community, and even develop a small bit of fame. The strategy for personal branding is practical and accessible. Constantly create and share defined audience values.

Build Relationships Early and Often

The best time to start building customer relationships is three years in advance, when they need your products and services. Think of your brand like a bank. Each positive customer interaction is a small deposit of trust. Serving your customers well, generating reviews & discussion and promoting their brand, all are credited to Trust Bank.

When your customers know, like, and trust in your brand - they will choose it first. Building strong customer relationships starts with a choice. Do you want to sell to a customer once, or create a brand where your customers come again and again?

Relationships Bring Customers Back. Investing in customer relationships delivers two tangible benefits:

High customer loyalty - Customers are less likely to "kick the tires", know your brand, like and trust them and explore other options.

Low customer acquisition costs - When your brand has deep customer relationships, selling your products and services is less expensive. These customers are fans. They are often mentioned, and provide social proof.