A Perfect Strategic Brand Building Guide

The term ‘brand value’ is something that applies to most business organizations in the world. It is basically the kind of reputation that a brand builds over a period of time. It is responsible for gaining the people’s trust and making them believe in your philosophy and the product you are trying to sell.

The bigger the brand more will be sales and popularity. It is considered to be a more valuable asset than the other things that a company or organization owns.

If you are a new business organization and are looking to establish yourself in the market, you should always look to build your brand first.

To give you a simple example, if you are looking to buy sports shoes, the first brand that generally comes to your head is Nike. The logo, the tagline, the ambassadors, you must be aware of each and every detail about it.

This is because Nike has worked towards building its brand in such a strategic manner that they have a loyal set of customers, and even others can place their trust in them blindly.

Methods of Strategic Brand Building

Jeff Bezos, the owner of a multi-billion dollar company called Amazon, says your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room. There is no denying the fact that it is not a quick process.

It takes considerable time and is to be done step by step.

This article mainly aims to guide you about the various brand-building strategies.

What exactly do you mean by a brand?

The first question that must be coming to you is, what exactly do you mean by a brand? A brand is basically the kind of reputation that your business is going to have over a period of time. It is what will set your company apart from the set and give it a definite and unique identity.

It can also be said to be the perception your customers create and perceive of you and judge you for in the future.

The ultimate phases of brand crafting

You can judge how successful your brand building is by seeing the awareness that has been generated about it. The impression that has been created should be unique and lasting so that it settles into the subconscious mind. It is also important that a positive image is created and it is carried forward in the future.

The three important phases based on which a brand is built are-

A Perfect Brand Identity

It is basically how recognizable your brand becomes over a period of time. Your whole brand building should be consistent across all platforms so that the credibility of the brand identity is maintained.

The logo, advertising content, colors, and design add to the brand identity so that the customers can understand what kind of experience they will have with a brand.

An unmovable Brand strategy

It basically means the planning involved behind the brand building, and it tells about your purpose and ways to solve any issue or fulfill any promises. It involves much planning about how the brand will be portrayed to the world. Unfortunately, there are a lot of major companies that tend to overlook this point while building their brand.

As the famous saying goes, failing to plan is equivalent to planning to fail, which is the most applicable while building a brand strategy. It forms a kind of blueprint of how to make your brand come out to the world.

Ideal Strategies of Brand Marketing-

It is undoubtedly one of the highlights of a brand. It is a way of providing the right platform and audience for the brand so that communication can be set up. It also results in an amplification of the image. One of the major ways of doing so these days is through digital marketing.

Paid Advertising has become very common and is an effective strategic plan along with Search Engine Optimization and Email Marketing.

The main aim of brand marketing is to convert it into sales so that any company can benefit from it maximally.

What are the requirements for a brand to be successful?

A brand doesn’t taste success in just a couple of months. Even brands as big as Apple took years together to establish themselves in the market. An amiable experience and effective communication are something that is very important to build the brand over a period of time.

So what are the things that need to be done to make your brand gain success?

  • Concentrate your energy on the advertising aspect, especially on the initial days. You need to be updated about the latest trends and various advertising outlets that have recently gained a lot of popularity and try to use them to your benefit in the best way possible.
  • You should focus on the content and service you provide customers. Irrespective of what your product is, the customers will have a certain amount of expectation from your company.

It is your responsibility to not disappoint them and meet all their requirements in the best way possible. Only then will you be able to look into the eyes of the customers virtually and claim to be someone who gives the best as and when promised.

  • You should put much effort into providing customer services of the highest order. This is necessary at all stages of building a brand, and there should not be any reduction in its quality with time.

If you look at the biggest brands today, especially wholesale retailers like Flipkart and Amazon, the customer service and their prompt response set them apart and garnered a lot of appreciation. These can directly convert into positive feedback and reviews, which adds to the brand’s credibility.

  • The kind of environment and personality the brand has, either in stores or virtual offices, should also be as amicable as possible. You should try to keep the whole setup as positive as possible.
  • Having a website and accounts on different social media platforms is a must for branding. Everyone is hooked on the Internet these days, especially since it is available at the fingertips just by clicking a few buttons.

In an era such as this, having an online platform is the best way to reach as many people as possible. Moreover, the internet does not discriminate in any way. Therefore, you can have a target group or niche and reach out to them conveniently.

Important steps for Building a Brand

Understand why you want to build the brand

If you look at most of the biggest brands around the world, there is a story behind it that drove them with passion and made them stand out from the rest. It is important to understand your personal stance with respect to your brand. The three questions that need answering here include what, how, and why.

What are the products and the services that your brand provides, how do they plan to provide them and why do you feel that the people will be convinced about the products and services? Once you figure them out, brand-building will have a better perspective.

Example of Apple

If you take Apple as a brand, a few years ago, it was not such a huge brand as it is now. However, the entry of Steve Jobs, with his exemplary vision and passion for integrating technology with class, played a big role in building the brand immensely.

Know the audience that you are targeting

The target audience is one of the most important aspects for any business to succeed and make a mark for itself in the market. You need to understand the behavior of the customers and track their lifestyle so that your brand is well-aligned with it.

For example, having a brand that concentrates more on the requirements of working women rather than all women can help to structure your brand in a more specific manner. If you have a target audience, you also get to have an advantage over your competitors.

Example of Sephora

For example, a segment of the brand Sephora concentrates more on the requirements of working women rather than all women can help to structure your brand in a more specific manner. If you have a target audience, you also get to have an advantage over your competitors.

Have an attractive logo as well as the tagline

Whenever someone thinks about the Nike brand, the first thing that comes to mind is the logo and the tagline “let’s do it.” Similarly, the logo of a half-eaten apple is synonymous with the Apple brand. These logos have become so successful because they have hit the right chord with the people.

Similarly, when you are building a brand, you should dedicate a considerable amount of time to deciding on a logo and having a catchy tagline.

The purpose is to sensitize the people about your brand in a manner that gets registered to their subconscious minds. It is more important to remember that this logo and tagline will be a part of your brand everywhere, whether it be your products, goods, advertising campaigns, or other goodies. It is also not advisable to keep changing logos unless absolutely required.

Example of Nike

Whenever someone thinks about the Nike brand, the first thing that comes to mind is the logo and the tagline “let’s do it.” Similarly, the logo of a half-eaten apple is synonymous with the Apple brand. These logos have become successful because they have hit the right chord with the people.

Have a mission statement in place

Anything in life is meaningless if it does not have a purpose. It applies to your brand as well. You should have a mission statement in place, which should be reflective of your passion and emotions related to the brand. It can be used as a mode of advertising as well.

If someone asks you why you should choose your brand over the others in the market, you can answer with your mission statement. It will be more impactful and register in the receiver’s mind better.

Example of L’Oreal

The mission statement of beauty brand L’Oreal is “because it is worth it” and has a strong sentiment behind it which looks like it is in accordance with the mission of making people realize that everyone is beautiful in their own way.

Know your competitors well

There is a very famous saying that you should keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. In the context of this particular article, your competitors play a big role in the success of your business. You should be aware of their strong and weak points and try to work on ways to be different than them.

You must have heard of the banter between big brands like Samsung and Apple. 

They are based on two separate platforms, and a part of the advertising of their brand is subtlety based on how they are superior to the other. However, you should ensure that you do not demean or make derogatory remarks about other brands. They are just your professional competitors; you should maintain a certain amount of decency there.

Examples of Samsung and Apple

You must have heard of the banter between big brands like Samsung and Apple. They are based on two separate platforms, and a part of the advertising of their brand is subtly based on how they are superior to the other.

Focus on the benefits of the brand and what sets it apart from the others

To further reiterate the point mentioned above, it is important that you focus on your brand more and see the additional benefits it provides compared to others who belong to a similar niche. It will make your brand unique and convince others to choose you and not others.

It will also make you know your brand better as you explore more and more the details associated with it.

Example of OnePlus and Xiaomi

There are so many brands like OnePlus and Xiaomi that have similar types of products. However, their kind of branding is a little different and makes them carve out a place for themselves in the market.

Hire a good ambassador for the brand

An ambassador will basically be the face of a brand. He or she will be synonymous with the product of endorsement. It also plays an important role in building the customers’ trust in your brand, as the common public puts a lot of value in the choices of influencers.

Therefore, choose an ambassador who can relate to your brand and look at ways that can promote you in an even better fashion. It is not necessary to have celebrities only.

There are so many heroes of different types from different walks of life. You should do thorough research before fixing your ambassador. 

Example of Puma

For example, Usain Bolt, the fastest man on Earth, endorses the brand Puma. He has been using Puma shoes for his athletic purposes throughout. When the common public automatically sees him saying that Puma shoes are the best, their belief in the brand increases, that is how important an ambassador is for a brand.

Make your brand a part of each and every aspect of your business

The one big aim of brand building is to convert it into an effective business. Your brand should take your company forward positively and help it reach the heights it deserves. Therefore, once your branding is decided and you are sure about the different aspects of endorsements, make it an integral part of your business.

It should have a lot of visibility, right from your office to your website to your social media account, anywhere that you have the potential to establish communication with hopeful customers.

You should build from strength to strength. Not everyone will be aware of your business and the strategies you employ to make it the best, but your outreach will automatically increase once you do it through a brand. This can also lead to increased sales, which is the ultimate goal.

Example of OnePlus

If you look at One Plus as a brand, it has progressed in leaps and bounds because of this strategy itself. They use their branding in every product they launch and ensure that it gets a lot of visibility.

Always be true to your brand.

Never deviate from the principles and philosophies of the brand, irrespective of the lucrative market offers that may seem to be otherwise. You should not give in to greed and petty business deals to gain more financially.

You should be true to it from the start to the end. Your brand building should not be built under false promises.

If your brand has made a commitment to delivering something to the customers, you should ensure that it is done in the best way possible. You will be a very successful brand if you follow these at all times.

Example of Adidas

There are many examples of brands like Nike and Adidas coming out of sponsorship deals because they found the behavior of the ambassadors inappropriate. They were not true to the philosophies that the brand had set for itself.

Final Thoughts

Building a brand takes a lot of patience and hard work. It cannot be done in days, weeks, or even months. Sometimes it may take years together.

However, if you follow the steps mentioned above and be honest with your brand-building process, your chances of succeeding will increase manifold.

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