Why branding is important for businesses
When you think of MTN, what colour comes to your mind? yeah you are right yellow. When you think of Cocacola definitely the red color comes to your mind, but beyond the colours or logos of these popular brands there is that unique feature that we all individually know them for, their reputation that is what is referred to as branding and it will be discussed in today’s article.
The word Branding is very popular word among graphic designers especially Brand identity designers (graphic designers specialized in creating the visual representation of a brand.) The main components of a brand identity are your logo, typography, images and colour.
In basic terms, branding simply means the visual representation of your brand, your product, it entails what other people think about your company, your product and the services you render. Your branding is intended to give a clue to your customer on what to expect from your brand.
Often times people have limited branding to just having a logo alone but the concept of branding goes beyond that, it is what your potential customers think about you, simply put it is the message your brand looks like, it entails the message you pass across with your brand.
Brand building is the keystone of any successful business. It does not matter what business you do, you could be an entrepreneur or you have your own company, to stand out of the competition your branding will help you achieve it.
Trust from your audience is one of the most important things you can have as a business but this is not always easy to gain, a business that is missing key elements of branding will have an even harder time getting people to trust them.
Look for opportunities to improve customer experience within your business. Can you think of problems that your customers are facing in relating to what you sell? Then create content around this.
If for instance you make shoes and you realize your customers are searching for guides to preserve their shoes, or the best kind of shoe to buy. You can just put up a branded blog post or video that explains this and helps your customer to solve their shoe problems. This way you subconsciously create trust in the minds of your customers and when the time comes that they want to get a shoe you will be the first place they visit.
The point is, there is a ton of information about your industry that your customers want and need to know. And if you can add value and answer their questions through your content, you’ll build trust with those customers and that trust will translate into business.
If your customers have a positive experience every time they interact with your brand, they will keep coming back and they will definitely tell people about your brand too.
Now, one thing to keep in mind is that customer service is bigger than any single interaction or department. If you truly want to live and breathe customer service, you need to provide a consistently positive experience for your customers no matter how, when, and why they interact with your brand.
Look for ways to improve customer experience within your business. Ask yourself questions that you think your customers are facing challenges busying from you. The point is, the better you can make your customer experience, the more you’ll be known as a company that cares about its customers and the more customers you’ll get as a result.
Make them feel as if they are a part of your team –If you have an outstanding product or service, customers will use it. They will spread the word and in turn will enhance your customer base for you.
Have a way to engage with your customers and learn from their actions and feedback. Act to improve on the experience you’re delivering at all times. There is always room to be better than before. Listening to the feedback and engaging with your customers is vital in each and every interaction.
Connect don’t compete with other businesses Partner with someone who is targeting the same audience, Think about how you can introduce your brand.
Have an online presence. This does not mean just posting alone or having a Facebook page or Twitter handle with your company name. It entails being everywhere. You want to be that brand that people notice when they’re walking down the streets. Even if they don’t know what your business does they’ll recognize your name.
Most importantly build the character of your business, create a personality for your brand, imagine your brand is a person you will work towards creating a personality that would help your business. If you put these tips to practice it will help improve your sales.