May 20 2021
Branding Development – Mimicry or Innovation?
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What is most important to consider when it comes to branding development for your business? Whether you are a huge multinational organization, or a small home business, branding will be of crucial importance, and can make a very significant difference to the success of the company.For new businesses starting up, the concept of branding can seem exciting – and indeed, it can be a lot of fun. However, this is also an aspect of your business which needs to be treated seriously, and it will be important to consider a range of aspects.By considering a wide range of aspects of corporate branding, you will be able to ensure that your business retains a consistent image throughout the marketplace. There can be no doubt that confusing branding can be highly damaging, no matter how clever the concept was in the first place.One of the starting places which it might be worth considering is to check out the branding ideas pursued by your competitors. To understand how they have arrived at the branding images they have developed provides you with an appreciation of how you might be able to market yourself differently. It will be important to ensure that your company is seen as being, not only distinct from your rivals, but also more professional. Copying ideas of branding styles from your rivals does not make you the market leader, and can often lead to confusion; confusion in turn often leads to loss of sales and customers.Piggyback branding is where a company launches a product or corporate branding image which is deliberately designed to look very similar to a known, successful brand which has already reached a wide audience and established a name for itself. The idea being that by creating products or a brand image that is similar, people will either purchase your products in error, or assume that they are of similar quality. Orientals are masters at this type of branding. This is dangerous territory. There are few success stories when it comes to piggyback branding. The only market that can safely achieve this is perhaps in supermarket own-brand items. Where supermarkets package their own brand to look very similar to the leading product, but at a much lower price, they are often able to achieve much greater profit margins. People are rarely confused into buying their product, but it does help to draw attention to the own-brand items. That is one of the major objectives of advertising: the ultimate being to make a recurring sale.In other areas of the retail and service industries this can be very tricky, and is rarely advised. Ensuring your own distinct brand image allows you to establish yourself as distinct, unique and able to provide a service or quality of product which is good enough in itself not to need a branding development which relies on confusion or mimicry to succeed.Having said that, there are certain markets where themed brandings have taken off rather well, and in these fields it will be helpful to understand the trends being used. If a branding trend has succeeded, customers will be aware of this and will frequently start scanning for particular colors, styles of themes.Think of the colors used for gaming consoles for example. Silver and black are dominant themes used in many products and labels, with green and blue used often as secondary colors. This is no coincidence since the colors evoke impressions of sturdy space age metal, NASA technology and futuristic styles. Developing a brand quite distinct from this could work either for or against you. Creating a brand which ties in with a known theme, and with a successful visual style, can help you to be seen as a significant part of the market.On the other hand, heading off in a new direction in terms of style and color could work in your favour, with the impression being implied that your technology is different, and is heading off in a new direction. Being able to support these claims will be important of course.Frozen foods often use blue and white within the theme to evoke ideas of ice-cold environments, whereas hot salsa products will invariably be packaged in warm reds and oranges with a general sense of heat.These are just small examples of how the market has often developed successful branding styles which will be important to cash in on for maximum success. It might be an interesting experiment to try selling frozen food packaged in red and salsa sauce in blue and white, but it could end up being a very expensive one!In terms of successful branding development you will need to consider the name of the company, and there again the same ideas apply. In piggyback branding, the name, and even the font used in the advertising campaign, could mimic a known rival or established brand. However, there are also many well-established styles and themes which work well and are worth considering. To go with the flow or to break away – it’s a tough decision.
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It’s an amalgam of everything that’s visible about your company. Your brand reputation used to be an organic thing, something that grew out of your interactions with your customers and the public. These days, brand image is far more likely to be manufactured than it is to grow naturally.
There are two main aspects of branding that can be boosted by business gifts as branding tools. In other words, the design and style of the items that you choose will actually carry at least as much weight as what the item actually is. A staid High Street law firm and a trendy teen accessory shop can both give away promotional pens, for instance, and have them well-received, but the style that works best for each of them will be far different.
The bank, wanting to project an image of tradition and solidity, might choose sleek ball pens imprinted with the bank logo and name. It suits their brand well, and will further their image as a solid financial institution. In contrast, the teen shop wants to promote its image as a quirky, fun place where you can find the latest and hippest gear. Their choice of promotional pens might be a twisty-bendy version in eye-popping colors for maximum visibility.
The same principle applies to many other promotional gift items that you could use for branding purposes. Among the most popular giveaway gifts that are easy to adapt for branding are:
– Printed mugs that carry your logo available in a wide range of styles and colors- Promotional umbrellas that can be very proper or a barrel of fun depending on color and style.- Carrier bags, cases and folders that can run the gamut from ultra-sophisticated to kitschy and cute.
If you’re having trouble deciding on appropriate promotional products or gifts to suit your company’s image, you’ll find help at one of the many suppliers of promotional items online. Poke around online catalogs, and take advantage of the consultants that are available to help you choose and place your order.


May 20 2021
Repetition Is the Mother of Branding
Getting clear about your business strengths and consistently delivering that message is key to effective branding. This article offers do-able ways to clarify and enhance your brand.
Repetition in some contexts can be boring. Not so with your brand.
Repeating core attributes or strengths of what you offer is a necessity. Those core strengths are what create your brand. They help your prospective clients and customers to recognize you.
Your brand distinguishes you, sets you apart. The process of creating a brand is getting really clear about your or your business’ strengths, and repeating that message, over and over.
The more consistent you are, the more easily recognizable your brand becomes over time.
I know I used to be afraid of repeating myself too much. What if my prospective clients think I have nothing new to say, that I’m being boring, or that I am hammering a point to death. You might feel the same way!
In reality, people do not hang on every word that you say or write. Not surprising, right? People tune in for a bit, then go off to other things before (hopefully) coming back. When you offer great information, they’ll be back.
And each time they do come back, by repeating yourself, you increase the likelihood that they will hear the key points you want to make about the value that you offer.
We all learn by repetition. Marketing your product or service really is a form of teaching. It’s teaching clients and prospective clients or customers about the value of what you offer.
So going over the same point in different ways, over time, makes a significant impression. You want your message to stay with people, so you can deliver the awesome service or product that you are making available.
Repetition serves an additional purpose. It provides stability through consistency. People know what to expect from you, and that helps support them in making a buying decision.
Not only does repetition strengthen your branding message, it makes you more likeable to those automated search engine algorithms that determine your ranking in online searches.
Here’s an easy way to approach this whole branding idea: think of 5 words or phrases that highlight your best traits, your biggest strengths. Work from the perspective of your business offerings: what is the best of what you offer? These strengths form the core attributes of your brand.
Repeating those strengths will reinforce in people’s minds the essence of what you do, the heart of it.
So, on your website, include those keywords or phrases in the website copy, preferably in the titles as well as the text.
You can expand this key strength branding into other areas of your outreach.
When participating in social media, use your 5 core strengths repeatedly. Mention them in your profile/bio, your posts, and even in comments that you make on other people’s pages or profiles.
For example, in LinkedIn, you can reinforce your message and build up your brand by including your core strengths in your summary, your experience descriptions, your endorsements, and in any content that you add.
A big opportunity for brand-supporting repetition lies in any new content you produce, like blog posts. This content can be put to advantage by reusing and repurposing it for press releases or social media outlets. That also adds to your message consistency.
For example, take a sentence or two from a blog post and include it as a Facebook status update, or a Twitter tweet. That repetition helps put the key messages from your article out beyond the blogosphere into a bigger realm.
Leverage opportunities to reinforce your brand by making best use of what’s available.
One example: you get limited space to create your bio/profile in most social media tools. Use all of it! Repeating your core strengths in different ways will bring your message home.
Another option: in LinkedIn, you can expand your experience descriptions beyond the rote job title approach. Instead, break down your experience by the key strengths you’ve identified, or the functions that relate directly to them.
By repeating the essence of what you offer, your core strengths, you’re doing your clients, customers, and prospects an enormous favor. Make it easy on them. While they’ve been off doing other things, you can consistently create multiple opportunities for them to hear you.
And with all you have to offer
, what a gift!
A brand is a perception associated with a business’s service or product. This perception cuts across the whole spectrum of the business. It extends to customer service, customer experience, visuals, values, mission statement and feelings or emotions derived from using a service. A good brand enjoys customer loyalty. It enjoys repeat sales and has a good relationship with customers.
One unique feature of a brand is that whether created intentionally or not, every business possesses one. Some small businesses and start-ups pay little or no attention to their brand, while others take their destiny into their own hands. Consequently, big companies work very hard to edge their brand into the minds of customers.
Rather than leave your brand to the mercy of the market, why not take action to position your business today? Here are 5 branding tips to help you do exactly that.
Brand identity
Brand identity is associating a startup or small business with a particular image that becomes the face of the business. The logo does a good job at this and so do tag lines. Whatever the image of choice, it should appear on all your products. Newsletter, letterhead, banners, business cards, and promotional items like pens, t-shirts and mugs should all carry the image.
Deliver on promise
Customers place high demands on brands. They expect businesses, small business and start-ups to deliver on value. If for instance, customer refund is one of your values and you fail to honour that promise, you are damaging your brand and you are hurting your reputation. And in this day of social media, it wouldn’t take long before a ‘#hashtag’ is created. It wouldn’t take long before one little bad seed pollutes the rest of your harvest.
Care for your customers
Care for your customers because care breeds loyalty. Once you have repeat purchases, create a system that rewards loyalty. Provide some kind of incentive for introducing new customers. Introduce offers for first time buyers. If a customer does not get the required attention from you, they would go next door. Treat them well. Honour your word. Be quick to accept responsibility. Calm agitated customers down. Be nice to them and you would be on your way to creating a good brand. After all, branding revolves around perception.
Go the extra mile
If you are a small business or most probably a start-up business, and it’s within your means, throw in that extra gift. Meet customers halfway, stay the extra five minutes to accommodate their schedule. Give customers an experience they would cherish. An experience they would find hard to get somewhere else, one that would differentiate your product
, and one that would trigger repeat service or sale.
Conduct a survey
Conduct a survey to find out what customers think of your business. You don’t have to make the research formal but be honest with yourself. Put in place measures to correct defects. Reward those who bothered to comply with the research. Use the intelligence gathered to make strategic decisions that would take your start-up or small business forward.
By PBZC.Name-Devloper • Blog