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When it comes to building a business, nothing is as fundamental and central to your success as the product. But even the perfect product won’t generate the results you need to be profitable and successful without strategic branding.
The problem is that most companies don’t invest enough time and resources into proper branding. They try to hack their way to success without accounting for all of the nuances that go into creating and establishing a powerful brand that connects with people and convinces them to spend their hard-earned money on a product that satisfies their wants, needs, and desires.
If you want your company’s branding to be successful and rewarding, you need a plan. As part of this plan, you need the right techniques and strategies. This means avoiding common mistakes like the following:
1. Not Being Relatable
If you think about it, a business is a pretty boring idea to a customer. Intrinsically, the customer knows that the business exists for the sole purpose of generating money and providing an income for the business owner, employees, and shareholders. It’s all pretty cold and sterile if you spend much time thinking about it. So what sets your company apart from the rest? In other words, why should anyone care?
These are questions customers are subconsciously asking themselves. And for businesses, the solution is better branding. Sadly, most companies miss the mark and don’t do a good enough job of developing a relatable story that resonates with their target audience.
“Brands are designed with values that people can relate to,” Active Web Group explains. “The idea is to manufacture a personality that appears more human. When a brand’s personality resonates with a consumer, they feel an emotional connection that can inspire trust. Trust lowers the consumers’ guard, which comforts them.”
Focus on relatability and use brand storytelling to connect with customers at a visceral level. In doing so, you’ll find it easier to differentiate your brand and reach the people you need to grow your business.
2. Ignoring Global Context
You can’t be everything to everyone. This is one of the first rules of branding. You have to know who your audience is and then tailor your messaging to what that audience wants to hear. But in a connected world, executing on this idea is becoming increasingly difficult. Prior to launching any major branding campaign or initiative, consider how it will be received in other markets, regions, and countries.
“Content on the internet is shared across the globe in a matter of seconds. Your word and/or visual choice may not be offensive to your target audience but it could still fail because of how it’s received by the rest of the population,” Crazy Egg explains.
This is why it’s helpful to always have multiple eyes look over your branding and creative work before sharing. You can never have too many safeguards.
3. Lack of Consistency Across Channels
It’s fairly easy to maintain a consistent brand image when you’re only focused on one or two channels. But as you expand across a variety of mediums – such as your website, social media, video, audio, print, billboards, display ads, etc. – it becomes more challenging to retain this consistency.
Failed brands often make the mistake of morphing their branding creatives to fit the medium, rather than filtering everything through the brand’s identity. Make sure you don’t fall victim to this common error. You can create a brand style guide to stay on track.
Is it Time to Revisit the Drawing Board?
There’s nothing easy or effortless about building a brand. No matter how many online courses you buy or books you read, nothing replaces firsthand experience. It isn’t until you get your hands dirty that you learn what works and what doesn’t. So don’t feel bad if you’re making mistakes – but don’t let these blunders fester, either.
If you feel as if your marketing and branding initiatives are coming up short, it’s time to stop fooling yourself and start reshaping your approach. By correcting preventable mistakes and replacing them with solid and sustainable strategies, you can push your brand forward and accomplish all of the larger business objectives that you’ve set out to achieve.
Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work?
