Nike, Mercedes, Toyota, and Apple—these brands share one thing. It's a successful brand building. The one thing you can be sure of is that the process takes time. But, with the right technique and persistence, you can get there.
Establishing your brand is a challenging yet critical task. You are fighting for recognition in a bustling environment. There is a lot of noise from competitors and other brands. The modern consumer has so much choice. With so many options, getting and keeping their attention can be difficult.
Establishing a brand has so many facets to it. But, there are absolute basics you must get right.
We will explore the dos and don'ts of establishing your brand in 2021 to help you save money and time.
Establishing your brand in 2021; Dos and Don'ts
1. Do Your Market Research
You cannot establish a brand in a market you do not understand. Some critical areas you need to cover, including the following:
- Audience research - who are you talking to? What do they like? How does your brand respond to the needs?
- Consumer behavior - learn the role of societal, cultural, and personal influences in the market you are dealing with
- SWOT analysis - will let you know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
- Competitor analysis - to see what and who you're up against.
2. Do Include Your Employees
Your employees are your most powerful brand ambassadors. It helps if they are on board with everything happening within the organization. Keeping them in the dark can work against you.
While we are in no way saying that you should share all company secrets, let them know what they need to. Having employee buy-in will make your brand-building efforts so much easier.
3. Do Take Advantage of Available Resources
To create awareness of the brand, you need to spend on marketing and advertising. Take advantage of free resources to help cut costs. For example, you will find some downloadable PowerPoint templates you can use. Some are paid, but you can also find free ones.
Make sure the templates you use will contain the essentials and, at the same time, be in line with the theme of your presentation. For example, it would be awkward to use a food-themed template when you're presenting about medical supplies.
A cursory search on free advertising ideas online will give you tons of results. Content generation, for example, is a great way to build your authority within the market. All you need is a website and relevant content.
Implementing SEO will help with your ranking on search engines. Video content allows for engagement and is more interesting than the text.
4. Do Focus On Your Customers
You may wonder why some companies continue to do very well. It is because they tend to focus on the customers and not the bottom line. They will not spare any expense in ensuring customers are happy.
Technology has made it so much easier to cater to customers. Voice assistants, chatbots, and virtual reality increase efficiency. They help by responding and assisting customers on time.
The end result of brand-building is an emotional connection with consumers. You must never ignore how they feel about your products, services, or brand as a whole. It goes back to understanding your customers or audiences very well. You can then tailor your communication to respond to the needs you have identified.
5. Don't Underscore the Importance of Professional Help
Establishing a brand is a process you may need help in. Unless you have the relevant expertise, consider bringing in professionals. Brand specialists, for example, know precisely what to do.
You benefit from expert advice. You avoid common mistakes and can save some good money. Consider what you spend hiring specialists as an investment, an investment whose benefits you will reap soon. Subscribing to reputable investment newsletters can be a complementary step, providing you with additional insights to enhance your financial decisions.
You may also take advantage of influencer marketing. Professional influencers nowadays are often under an agency. When you use these kinds of services, you'll have a wider audience reach with better chances to establish your brand on a larger scale.
6. Don't Forget Your Collaterals
It is a fact that people are moving towards greater consumption of the digital space. You will, however, need other tangible awareness creation material. Such include your logo, digital signage, stationery, and even staff uniform.
Your assets must represent your brand well. Invest in good quality business logos, designs, and materials. There are many templates you can use to create your branding online. It may, however, be a worthwhile investment to let a designer do it for you.
Ensure consistency in all your branding collateral. You want people to build a connection every time. Think about it this way; even non-customers will recognize Nike or Toyota.
7. Don't Be Rigid
The business and social environment are ever-changing. Trends come and go, but you must keep up. A company like McDonald's realized the value of flexibility. They had to stop using artificial preservatives when health concerns became an issue.
Understanding the impact of trends goes back to the importance of market research. Market research is an ongoing process you have to undertake. You look at the market as a whole and then narrow it down to the individual.
You must be willing to make the necessary adjustments. Only then can you cater to the more demanding modern consumer.
8. Don't Have Unrealistic Expectations
Establishing a brand is not something that occurs overnight. You will have to sweat and cry a little before things take off. Be realistic about your expectations. Have proper plans in place and strategies to achieve them. Keep track of the process, and measure what you're doing.
Be ready to change or tweak what may not be working. Remember, pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Celebrating wins, no matter how small, can be a great motivator.
Being realistic also means you understand that brand building is an ongoing process. It is a process you will keep up with, no matter how big you get. It could explain why established brands like Nike and Mercedes continue to advertise.
Achieving top-of-mind awareness may be easy to do with advertising. But maintaining it or remaining relevant in a competitive field is where the real task is.
Conclusion
There are tons of techniques for brand building that already exist. For instance, incorporating strategies like employee rewards and recognition can strengthen your internal brand and boost morale. Even as you go into 2021, go with the 2020 wheel. Instead of reinventing it, perfect it further.
The dos and don'ts we have highlighted above will help with establishing your brand in 2021.
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Written by DesignCrowd on Monday, December 21, 2020
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.
