It has never been more important to stand out in the crowd
of competition that businesses are facing today. It is critical to create a unique identity
and value proposition through strategic branding. While it's important to offer
a quality product, strategic branding is at the core of the companies that
succeed in the chaos.
of competition that businesses are facing today. It is critical to create a unique identity
and value proposition through strategic branding. While it's important to offer
a quality product, strategic branding is at the core of the companies that
succeed in the chaos.
That being said, here are seven ingredients that put
together make a successful
brand:
together make a successful
brand:
Audience Knowledge
The best brands have a thorough understanding of the
demographics of their target market, their interests, and how they communicate.
Understanding the target market is critical because it provides direction for
the tone and reach of a campaign, along with the identity of a brand, while
helping to create a human connection between a business and an audience.
demographics of their target market, their interests, and how they communicate.
Understanding the target market is critical because it provides direction for
the tone and reach of a campaign, along with the identity of a brand, while
helping to create a human connection between a business and an audience.
Uniqueness
Establishing a brand identity requires something
distinctive. It simply needs to have one special thing that separates it from
the competition. 'In reality, it's possible to be 'a one trick pony' as long as
that trick is really good,' according to Forbes. Once a company figures out
what that is, it can concentrate on it.
distinctive. It simply needs to have one special thing that separates it from
the competition. 'In reality, it's possible to be 'a one trick pony' as long as
that trick is really good,' according to Forbes. Once a company figures out
what that is, it can concentrate on it.
Passion
While it's possible to build a brand in the short-term
without passion, it's almost impossible to sustain it long-term. When you
examine successful people like Steve Jobs, they all have a passion that keeps
propelling them to work hard and deliver greatness ' leading to enthusiasm and joy,
which is infectious. Consumers often become just as enthusiastic about a
product, leading to word of mouth advertising.
without passion, it's almost impossible to sustain it long-term. When you
examine successful people like Steve Jobs, they all have a passion that keeps
propelling them to work hard and deliver greatness ' leading to enthusiasm and joy,
which is infectious. Consumers often become just as enthusiastic about a
product, leading to word of mouth advertising.
Consistency
When consumers come back to a business for repeat sales,
they expect to receive the same level of quality as they did the first time. No
one wants to deal with a company they can't rely on for consistency. That's why
it's so important to adhere to a quality standard with a product.
they expect to receive the same level of quality as they did the first time. No
one wants to deal with a company they can't rely on for consistency. That's why
it's so important to adhere to a quality standard with a product.
Competitiveness
Today, for a brand to make a name for itself, team members
should thrive on competition and constantly strive to improve. When it comes to
the major players in any industry, none simply sit back and hope that their
consumers will do the work. Instead, they tend to be the movers and shakers who
work tirelessly toward building and optimizing their brand, going above and
beyond consumer expectations.
should thrive on competition and constantly strive to improve. When it comes to
the major players in any industry, none simply sit back and hope that their
consumers will do the work. Instead, they tend to be the movers and shakers who
work tirelessly toward building and optimizing their brand, going above and
beyond consumer expectations.
Exposure
Another part of being recognized as a successful brand is
the ability to reach consumers through multiple channels. Larger companies have
an advantage gaining exposure because they usually have a bigger marketing
budget and more connections. They can pay for television commercials, be
featured in globally-recognized magazines, and rank highly in search engine
results pages. But, the Internet and social media have narrowed the gap between
small companies and large ones. There are more tools that offer any company a
chance at establishing their brand. By developing a presence on networks like
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, anyone is able to reach almost any
consumer.
the ability to reach consumers through multiple channels. Larger companies have
an advantage gaining exposure because they usually have a bigger marketing
budget and more connections. They can pay for television commercials, be
featured in globally-recognized magazines, and rank highly in search engine
results pages. But, the Internet and social media have narrowed the gap between
small companies and large ones. There are more tools that offer any company a
chance at establishing their brand. By developing a presence on networks like
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, anyone is able to reach almost any
consumer.
Leadership
Just like any thriving community or sports team, there's
typically an influential leader behind every successful brand. To coordinate
the efforts of team members and guide a strategic vision for a brand, someone
has to step up. The leader resolves complications and acts as a liaison between
different departments to keep everyone on the same page.
typically an influential leader behind every successful brand. To coordinate
the efforts of team members and guide a strategic vision for a brand, someone
has to step up. The leader resolves complications and acts as a liaison between
different departments to keep everyone on the same page.
About the Author:
Amanda Ciccatelli, Social Media Strategist of the Marketing Division at IIR USA, has a background in digital and
print journalism, covering a variety of topics in business strategy, marketing,
and technology. Amanda is the Editor at Large for several of IIR's blogs
including Next Big Design, Customers 1st, and ProjectWorld and World Congress for Business
Analysts, and a regular contributor to Front End of Innovation and The Market Research Event,.
She previously worked at Technology Marketing Corporation as a Web Editor where
she covered breaking news and feature stories in the technology industry. She
can be reached at aciccatelli@iirusa.com. Follow her at @AmandaCicc.
Amanda Ciccatelli, Social Media Strategist of the Marketing Division at IIR USA, has a background in digital and
print journalism, covering a variety of topics in business strategy, marketing,
and technology. Amanda is the Editor at Large for several of IIR's blogs
including Next Big Design, Customers 1st, and ProjectWorld and World Congress for Business
Analysts, and a regular contributor to Front End of Innovation and The Market Research Event,.
She previously worked at Technology Marketing Corporation as a Web Editor where
she covered breaking news and feature stories in the technology industry. She
can be reached at aciccatelli@iirusa.com. Follow her at @AmandaCicc.
