Branding campaigns help consumers identify and associate companies in a certain light. By carefully crafting an identity, businesses can help guide public perception and simultaneously add awareness to their product and purpose. A crisp, well executed strategy can draw in prospects like bees to honey. A half baked campaign can leave consumer curiosty feeling flat. Beef up your efforts by avoiding the following mistakes.
- Not being yourself – Branding can only succeed with large doses of preparation and strategy. Before picking up a pencil or laptop, ask yourself: Who are you? What are you selling? When (and under what circumstances) is your product/service most useful? Where can your product/service be obtained? Why should prospects choose you over your competition? It’s important to clearly define your company’s personality, everything you’re offering and what sets you apart from your competitors. Building your logo and brand around these answers will result in a much more authentic campaign.
- Not being consistent – You can’t just create a catchy logo with a tagline and call it a day. Branding should be apparent in everything you do. From marketing materials and website layouts to customer care, if you say you’re the best then you must exemplify it. Branding isn’t something to be tried and traded either. Once you commit, keep to it. Brands like Nike and Coca-Cola have virtually never deviated from their original paths and have consequently garnered tremendous success.
- Not perfecting the tagline – A tagline should clearly outline your mission, promise and purpose. The 3 to 5 words composing your mantre should make a powerful statement and set a clear expectation of what customers can expect, all in a memorable fashion.
- Not providing a strong visual – A picture is worth a thousand words. Incorporating a strong visual element that speaks to the spirit of the company will be much more memorable for prospects.
- Not talking about what you can do for your customers – Branding campaigns should not be built around what you do, but rather what you can do for consumers. Prospects want to know what’s in it for them. If you focus more on talking about yourself, customers will not connect.
