Branding

What is meant by Branding?

Branding is the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other similar products in industry.

Branding

Branding is often a creative process that involves creating an overall image and name for a specific product or service that a business is trying to sell. A company’s brand often sticks with a consistent theme, in terms of both content and design. A successful brand will be a unique presence in its market, with an individualized name and a familiar face that keeps customers coming back time and time again.

Effective Branding Strategies

There are many ways to establish a successful brand. Many marketing websites define a brand as a “promise to your customer”. This is quite a powerful statement, as it rings true in a lot of ways. An effective brand strategy will help to communicate your business and your style to your customer, promising that they can come to rely on you for a product or service in the future.

A good brand will communicate a company’s values, products, services, and methods of communication. Some of the best branding strategies include the following essentials:

  • A sense of purpose – What does your company exist for?
  • Functionality – What does your company do to implement and prove its sense of purpose? How does it work?
  • Intentions – What is your company out to do? How does it measure its success?
  • Consistency – Is your branding vision the same across all types of platforms and products? Will customers recognize your brand from one webpage to the next?
  • Qualities – What do your customers associate with you when they think of your company? What do you want them to associate with?
  • Benefits – What will your customers gain from investing in one of your products or services? What will motivate them to stay loyal to your company?

Branding Versus Marketing

Branding and marketing are two completely different things. Many advertising agents who speak about branding are really referring to marketing, and vice versa. It is essential to understand the differences between these two in order to understand how an effective brand strategy can work.

Marketing is the process of finding and attracting buyers and customers. Branding is what keeps customers around and gives them the promise that they can continue to trust in the company for the long run.

Think of your company’s experiences, values, mission statements, and intentions when creating a new brand. The brand is, essentially, everything about the essence of the company. A brand is more than just a logo and a color scheme, it is something intangible that customers have come to rely on without being able to quite put their fingers on why.

Things to Consider

Branding is important to get right, as it will make a lasting impression on your customers. What they see is what they will envision about your company and your products or services. Keep in mind:

  • A brand is meant to reflect values and purpose, not just material things.
  • A brand should be consistent in style and message across all platforms.
  • A brand is an everlasting promise to your customers.

Branding is not new to the online world, but different steps have been taken to make it a powerful tool over the Internet and beyond.