Marketing and Branding are two business areas that are typically viewed as a teamwork; the one is the way we define what we stand for and the latter is the method we convey the message to potential customers and clients. Unfortunately to their own disadvantage organizations don’t invest in long-term branding strategies and focus too much on the short-term, marketing and sales campaigns that are tactical The key to success is finding the appropriate balance. I’ll share my thoughts and method of building brand.
Before we start there are two aspects that are essential to be aware of:
Your brand isn’t just a strap line, logo or color palette as well as a website or typeface. Your brand is the things people think about and say about you even when you’re not present.
Your brand’s image isn’t just the job of marketing. it’s an organizing concept that is the foundation for every aspect of your business. It’s the reason we must think about how each piece of communication each touch point, every interaction and every interaction with customers is in the direction and influenced through your branding.
Brand building doesn’t only involve short-term strategic sales and marketing activities It’s about setting longer-term strategic goals that align with the kind of brand we wish to create, how we intend to present our company and the kind of customer experience we would like our customers to experience. Also the things we’d like to be famous for.
The first step is to define the brand’s strategy and positioning. This is the principle that drives every action we take.
Then , we try at how to bring the positioning idea into reality through the branding identity. This includes the visual appearance and feel (including colors, logos and typefaces, images, etc.) as well as the verbal brand identity and tone.
Then, we will consider the positioning idea and brand’s image and apply it across all aspects of the company. This would include both external and internal communications, physical environments, marketing how we behave and interact with our customers, and the products we offer and our services.
What are the benefits of Longer term brand building
To illustrate the rewards which will ultimately result from investing in the development of a brand, we will examine the distinctions in strategic branding development and tactful marketing and sales.
Marketing and sales tactics can be described as ‘bringing the business in’.
In short, lead generation prospecting for leads selling, using your network, going to events, and creating marketing campaigns. This is an essential element for every company to get people for short-term work. This may include meetings, sales pitches direct mail, advertising online, on the line marketing, etc.
Strategic brand development for the long term in order to build a profile, reputation , and holding a space before our target audience.
A strong image and brand can lead to a more general understanding of who we are and the things we do, which means less time, effort expense and resources are required for tactical marketing in the long term (this is something that most businesses ignore, but could make a huge difference in a highly competitive market). This could include a clearly identified brand identity and persona as well as thought leadership, blog posts and content creation, as well as public relations, events videos or social media.
Summary
I hope this article can demonstrate the advantages and long-term advantages of positioning your brand and brand building, as well as the importance of finding the proper balance between this crucial organizing principle and the tactical aspects of marketing. My suggestion is to think of your strategy for branding as a complement to your overall business plan and not only a companion to your marketing activities making sure it flows through to all departments, Sales HR and the recruitment department, R&D etc.
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