5 Things You Can Learn From Great Brands.
No doubt, building a great brand is quite hard, but it’s achievable. You could walk into any store and come across over a hundred product brands and wonder where they come from. The crazy thing is, that’s the first time you’d come across such brand and you didn’t even know they existed.
The only reason you pick one over the other is because of the value attached to the stronger brand. They have found a way to connect with you on a different level, that allows you to make decisions in their favor.
According to Scott Bedbury, an American Branding Consultant, these products “may be great products, but they’re not great brands.” There’s a clear-cut difference between an ordinary “Product” and a “Brand“, we all recognize the former and the latter.
Great brands like St Louis, Coca-Cola, Nike, Indomie, Google, Apple, Amazon, and the likes have certain things in common you could adopt. Here are a few attributes:
Compelling Vision & Passion
Building a business with those who support your vision is one key aspect, as far as the business success is concerned. Brand building isn’t one man’s job, it’s everybody’s responsibility and vulnerability too.
In clearer words, developing a brand is a process in which everyone in the organization contributes in some way, you’re either in or out.
Considering this fact, the kind of people you hire goes a long way to speak for your brand. Keep in mind that brands ultimately reflects those who bring it to life every day. Based on Brandstream facts, many successful companies fail “not because of outside forces but primarily from weaknesses and threats within“.
You can start from the beginning, hire wisely!
Uniqueness
From obvious cases, a lot of unpopular brands actually offer the same services and do it the same way; they do not set themselves apart in anyway whatsoever. Being unique is important because your brand should set you apart from others in your industry.
Uniqueness doesn’t have to be forced, there are natural qualities that are exclusive to you and your business, that’s exactly what you should build on. Your passion, vision, mission and personal preferences are what makes your brand different, use strategies that agree with them and you’ll be sure to stand apart.
For instance, Domino’s Pizza would guarantee that their Pizza would arrive in 30 minutes or it’d be free. Apple, on the other hand, is recognized worldwide for their innovative, minimalistic and aesthetically appealing products.
Apple is another powerful example; iPhone XS is currently doing the magic.
Understanding Your Audience
Do you have a laid down target?
Are you aiming to sell to businesses or just individuals?
The greatest brands of all time have a thorough understanding of the demographics of their target audience, their interests, likes, as well as how they communicate. Excluding certain “mega-chain” businesses like Wal-Mart, most brands have a specific target audience they are pursuing.
Asides creating a sense of direction, trying to appeal to everyone can be counterproductive and could also cause your brand to be diluted.
Great Brands Connect on an Emotional Level
Just like colors affect our emotions, powerful brands have an undiluted emotional connection with consumers too. The truth is “If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you”– Zig Ziglar.
Brands that sell massively have found a way to symbolize solutions that consumers want, need, understand and believe in. Similarly, the services are delivered with experiences that continuously exceed customer desires and expectations.
If you want to thrive, give your customers exactly what you promised.
Consistency
It takes a long time as well as repetition to have a lasting impression on consumers’ consciousness, and all great brands maintain this standard. While some of these brands have changed their logo and brand identity repeatedly, some others have remained virtually unchanged since 1886.
Most importantly, all your actions have to be consistent with your brand image. You’d become known specifically for something that you always do and you shouldn’t stray from it for any reason. Like a popular saying by Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, “Don’t F**k up the culture!”
The popular St Louis Sugar is confident in its position and this is tied to consistency. There are other sugar brands who still don’t meet up with St Louis despite the fact the product is practically the same.
According to Scott Crook, Co-founder of Intuit, “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is, it is what consumers tell each other it is”.
You don’t get to dictate how people feel about your brand, but you get to create the feeling. Keep your eyes on what the greatest brands do and don’t miss your chance to make a difference.
Remember, “Don’t F**k up the culture!”
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