Some time ago during the seminar I was asked to tell briefly and concisely how to make your company a success story with the help of the marketing and how to build a strong brand. Typically, such a topic would be worth of intensive training for at least 2 days, and universities taught it in programs which are several months long. They say that in any profession it takes at least 10,000 hours to understand the subject and to learn how to apply it professionally in practice. That is why it also was a challenge for me – to summarize my marketing experience of more than 15 years in a few sentences and couple slides of presentations on how to build a strong brand.
Brand story
One thing I can say right away is that one of the key factors in the success of any company is STRONG BRAND. But what is it that differentiates a strong brand from mediocre one? First of all, the very important aspect is easily perceivable and topical brand story. And topical story always talks about what the customer needs, not what the company sells. A good story inspires for bigger and better things.
In practice, companies unfortunately are too often overwhelmed with narcissism and focus in their communication on what they consider to be their superior benefit – whether it would be centuries of experience, quality production or technologically complicated new achievements.
Consistent visual identity
Secondly, a strong brand always has well-developed and easily recognizable logo, as well as a consistent look that cannot be mistakenly perceived as something else. The company’s brand should be considered in the same way as its reputation. Every day we are thinking what kind of clothes to wear for the event, what kind of impression we would like to create with our appearance. And you should look at the company’s appearance and communication materials in the same way. It is not an extra that is affordable only for large companies. In fact, it is also important for a new and small company to create its image and reputation from the very first day of its existence.
Consistency in communication
Thirdly, it is important to observe consistency both in terms of visual look and content in daily communication. If the company has chosen to work in the “premium” segment, it would not be appropriate to communicate large discounts very often. If the company has chosen to emphasize the green way of life in its brand story, then organizing campaigns that literally produce plastic hills is a very bad idea and will surely be noticed by the buyers (as recently it happened with a large company here in Latvia).
And that is all! Yes, it is so easy and at the same time so complicated because you have to step out of your comfort zone and to get into your customer’s shoes. And to do it again and again, day after day. But the good news is that it is possible to find its own unique story for each good product or service, and on the basis of it to create a memorable visual image. The rest is only a matter of doing. Good luck in your business!
