For Immediate Release
Building Your Brand To Stand The Test Of Time
On Marketplace
June 18, 2010 —Your brand is a bridge between you and your customer and goes beyond a logo, advertising campaign or carefully designed brochures. Although these are essential components of a successful branding program, a solid brand is built from within the organization through the values that are established by the management. The brand is reflected in virtually every aspect of the company from the attitude in which a receptionist answers the phone, to the integrity of a letter written by a customer service representative.
Based on this preface, an expertly orchestrated branding program stands the test of time and distinguishes your organization in a competitive marketplace. Whether you manage a business that has provided services for 25 years or a new start-up, it's never too late or too soon to conduct a brand review and evaluate where you stand in the hearts and minds of your customers, clients and prospects.
There are volumes written on this subject and experts in marketing to guide you through the process and provide creative services that will help to shape the look and feel of your marketing materials. However, before you select an agency to assist with the branding review, do your homework and prepare the necessary information.
First, identify what business you are in and your mission. For instance, you may manufacture jet aircraft for business aviation customers, but your mission is "to provide transportation solutions for executive travel." Keep in mind your relevance to the target market and build credibility within that market. Examine the primary features and characteristics of your business and what sets you apart from the competition.
Understanding the unique needs that you fill, the solutions that you provide and who your customers are will determine the focus of the branding program and lead to the development of a positioning statement or tagline. For example, in this case it may be "Transportation solutions for Fortune 500 businesses."
Whether you choose to work with a branding specialist or full-service advertising agency, a creative brief will provide the foundation from which you create the logo and build the marketing components of your branding program. The brief includes an outline of the business' goals and objectives; identifies the target market in terms of who, what and where; lists features and benefits; highlights competitors; and states the organization's mission.
If customer service is the heart of the brand, the primary representation is the logo. An effective logo not only establishes an identity but also helps to build customer loyalty. Logos can be in the form of a distinctive typeface such as DID Advertising and Design; a graphic symbol like Piper Aircraft's pyramid; or an illustration that depicts the type of business such as the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce.
Once you've built the basic foundation of the brand, the marketing program will naturally evolve into strategic communication to your customer through advertising, brochures, websites and collateral materials.
However no matter how distinctive the logo or awe inspiring the marketing materials, the brand is ultimately the culmination of perceptionsand experiences and if you fail in the sales process or have a breakdown in communication the brand will not be successful.
Building your brand is exponentially worth the effort with a payoff that has a positive effect on the bottom line as your products and services become differentiated in the marketplace and your reputation is established.
For more information on DHI and the services they provide visit www.DHI.com or contact Carl Miller at Carl@DHI.com or call 772-234-8001.
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