How to DEFINE YOUR Business Branding Strategy

In a previous article on “The How of Branding”, we devised a 2-part system for business branding:

To begin, let’s clarify the steps in PART A of the business branding process so that you can develop a business branding strategy that is best for your business.

[What does it stand for?]

Chris Redshaw of the award-winning design agency Revolver Revolver, makes a thought-provoking point in his article Creating sales by defining your brand,

For it to grow and be successful, your business needs a well-defined brand. Without it, your business will…

• be forgettable (just another one in the crowd).
• appear unstable and amateurish.
• detract potential customers/clients.
• have limited growth potential.
• have no true or impactful public identity.

On the other hand, when your business has a well-defined brand, you will…

• stand out from the crowd.
• have focused branding and marketing strategies.
• attract your ideal customers.

And as your brand grows stronger, you will…

• develop loyal customers and brand advocates.
• become less sensitive to competitive pricing.
• become attractive to trade partners.
• easily recruit a talented workforce.

If the longevity and success of your business are important to you, then you will do what you must to ensure that your business has a well-defined brand. This comes from fully understanding your brand.

Here are some questions to help you get to know your business brand better:

• Why does our business exist?
• What is our mission (present deeds) and/or vision (future outcome)?
• What are our core values?
• What does our brand stand for?
• What products and/or services do we offer?
• What do we promise to deliver to customers beyond our product/service?
• What need do we fill?
• What value do we bring to the marketplace?
• Why do people want to buy from us?
• What do we do differently to our competitors?
• What is our specialization?
• What are the functional benefits that we deliver to our customers?
• What are the emotional benefits that only we deliver to our customers?
• When people think about our business, what feelings and associations do we want them to have? Are they unique? Can we “own” them?

[What are you trying to do?]

Ask yourselves, is our reason for branding our business to:

• introduce our product/service to the marketplace.
• differentiate our product/service from that of our competitors.
• improve recall and recognition of our brand by our target market.
• create an emotional connection by showcasing our brand’s personality.
• maintain high brand visibility or ‘top of mind’ awareness in the marketplace.
• build and grow a community of loyal fans of our brand.
• foster credibility and trust in our brand.
• increase our customer base.

Knowing YOUR branding objective will help you to more clearly define your business branding strategy.

[Who are you trying to attract?]

Remember what Lisa Haggis had to say about business branding…

In an interesting article titled “Customer Profile Template: Finding Your ONE Person“, business and marketing coach, Peter Vogopoulos makes the following point:

So, to be a successful business brand, you need to know and understand YOUR ideal customer, and target him/her. We’ll let Chris Mumford, founder of Joe Startup (a captivating entrepreneurial education website), provide an overview of the process for us:

[What are you using to reach them?]

To clarify the meaning of the word medium, the Merriam-Webster dictionary provides the following definition for MEDIUM [plural media] as per our context:

1. a channel or system of communication, information, or entertainment
2. a publication or broadcast that carries advertising [i.e. promotions]
3. a mode of artistic expression or communication

Media for business branding comes in many forms – offline and online. Knowing your brand, your objectives, and your target will help you narrow down how many and which media would be best for branding your business.

When choosing your media, keep in mind that it’s NOT about offline vs. online, but rather offline + online…

Image courtesy Power2U

Offline avenues for branding your business include:

• Printables: business cards, personalized stationary, posters, postcards
• Branded giveaways: calendars, pens, key chains, fridge magnets, etc.
• Outdoor signage: billboards, car decals,
• Newspapers: local news, interviews, press releases
• Radio/Television: local news, interviews
• Seminars/Workshops at community center/college

For online business branding, there are many choices. You could use one or more of the following types of social platforms available to you…

Image courtesy Fides

…by providing one or more of the following types of content to your audience.

Image courtesy PostPlanner

If looking at these last two images left you a bit overwhelmed, that’s okay.

The words of designer/entrepreneur Megan Auman in her article, Why You Should Focus On Winning One Social Media Platform, might come in handy right about now:

[In upcoming articles, we’ll discuss some of the more popular social media platforms.]

Once you’ve defined YOUR business branding strategy, the next step is to implement it, and we’ll cover that topic in another article.

For a more in-depth look at personal branding, you might find the following resources helpful:

• How to Define Your Target Market
• Defining Your Market in 7 Steps
• Target Your Ideal Customer With Personas

Also, check out our “Buyer Persona / Ideal Customer” board on Pinterest for some more insights.

Follow iBeFound International Ltd's board Buyer Persona / Ideal Customer on Pinterest.