Your brand isn’t just that cool business name or that fancy logo. While those things are important, a brand is much more than that. It’s about perception and how your customers view you, view your brand, and view your products. The totality of those perceptions are what make the impressions––both good and bad––that your brand will leave behind, imprinted on their hearts and minds forever. No pressure. While a brand is made up of many things, there are a few key functions that all successful brands have.
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Let’s be real. There are a lot of options in the world nowadays. Regardless of what type of business you own or products or services you offer, chances are there’s another brand out there doing it too. Potentially even better than you. Perhaps differently than you. Either way, a great brand helps simplify choices for their customers so that they can navigate your offerings without confusion, and in return, that simplicity garners trust and confidence.
This is because it’s easy for customers to understand exactly what you have to offer and how it benefits them. You’ve communicated what their choices are fabulously, without confusing them or overwhelming them, and you’ve helped them make a decision. This is a core function of successful branding.
Reassurance
Remember that branding isn’t just about a pithy slogan or cool color palette. A good brand has nailed down their key values, nailed down their USP, and nailed down their features and benefits, and why they are better and more trustworthy than the next guy.
Even more, they’ve managed to communicate these things to their audience in a way that resonates. Not only do these things resonate, they subtly help reassure customers of the intrinsic quality of your services and offerings and gives them the confidence they’ve made the right choice in doing business with you.
Engagement
Finally, of course, here comes the logos, the color palettes, the imagery and brand voice, and all the different associations that help your right people identify with your brand, engage with you, and become some of your most loyal customers and brand ambassadors.
You want to create a distinctive brand, something that stands out and helps customers call your brand to mind when they have a need for your products or services. If a customer doesn’t notice your brand or, worse, doesn’t remember your brand, it’s not doing its job.
At the end of the day, every brand should create an experience for its customers. Whatever that looks like and feels like will be unique to your business. There’s really not much that doesn’t contribute to your brand’s success or failure.
Your customer service plays a role in brand perception, your marketing tactics, your onsite decor, your location, how you’re different, and how well you know your customers. Brands should have a deep knowledge of their customers and how their brand is experienced through those customers. If it’s a poor experience, you’ve got some work to do! Consider calling in the experts to help get your brand working how it should. Let’s chat!
See Also:
Brand Building: When to Start the Rebranding Process and Revive Your Business
