What makes a good brand? You can immediately associate with the positive characteristics it represents. And that doesn’t just happen by accident.
The return on investment in a good brand is not limited to consumer goods. It’s equally important for manufacturers to take control of what their brands represent. This includes thoughtful identification of the positive traits you want associated with your brand. If not, manufacturers risk losing control of their brand identify as their industry will have inconsistent, or even negative, impressions of their brand. Or, the brand might even (gulp!) have no memorable impression at all.
Here are three of the best-kept marketing secrets that can help manufacturers get real results from taking control of their brand.
First, define what sets you apart.
It’s impossible to create your brand identity in a vacuum. You need to look at your brand in the broader context of your competitive landscape. Determine what characteristics meet market expectations – and look for opportunities to exceed market expectations.
When going through this process, it helps to create a cross-functional team to identify what sets you apart from the competition. Representatives from across the company can present unique insights on the reality from the front lines, share real stories about the typical customer experience and paint an accurate picture about the competitive advantages your business has to offer.
Second, create clear messages about benefits
Now is not the time to be cute or cryptic. Once you’ve identified what sets you apart, your brand should create clear, easy-to-understand messages that describe the unique benefits you offer your customers. When drafting the messages, keep in mind that claims should be backed up by proof points. While it’s tempting to use superlatives such as “the best” or “the most,” those claims are simply marketing hype until supported by facts about your business. Then you’re iron-clad.
Once the brand messages have been created, it’s time to get employee buy-in. And once again, it’s time to think beyond marketing and sales. Leverage the cross-functional team that participated in the message building process as brand ambassadors who can share the new brand messages throughout the organization. Make sure they understand the importance of presenting a unified brand and embodying the brand promises. Because they participated in creating the messages, they should already be invested in the brand’s success. This will get your business one step closer to walking the walk and talking the talk.
Third, get in front of your audience
In this day and age, it’s harder than ever to compete for people’s attention. Don’t expect a potential customer to stumble across your brand. It’s important to get in front of your audience.
While every employee should be a brand ambassador, it is up to marketing and sales to develop a strong strategy designed to reach your desired target audience. Anticipate where they’ll be and find a way to get in front of them. Position yourself in their path in a helpful way. For example, anticipate questions they’ll ask and provide answers on your web site. Anticipating Google search terms is a great strategy for increasing your rank in organic searches, and has the added benefit of positioning your brand as a great source for information.
In fact, all information presented about your business should be seen as an opportunity to share engaging content. From your business cards to your web site, project estimate templates to standard profiles on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, every touch point should result in a positive impression. Over time, these impressions will reinforce the strength in your brand and provide real results.
Are you ready to see those results and create a memorable brand that will leave a lasting impression? Contact us for a FREE one hour branding consult to learn more about how we can help your business grow and succeed!
