Introduction

Guide to Brand Marketing Strategy

Businesses now have never-seen opportunities to connect with and make an impression on their target audience thanks to the exponential growth of digital marketing platforms.

An effective brand marketing strategy that can cut through the clutter and engage customers is necessary to navigate this constantly changing environment.

We are in a time of consumerism, marked by numerous choices we are left with for the same products and services. There are a lot of options even for quality products that meet all our requirements, criteria, and expectations. But we don’t always go for what’s best, rather, for what we like the most. And sometimes our liking is not even related to the intrinsic value of the product but rather the catchy tune of its T.V. commercial, our favorite sportsperson endorsing it, and so on.

What is a Brand?

This attribute or the feature which sets the product apart from others in the same line is what constitutes a ‘Brand’. A brand is not just a name, logo, design, brand voice, etc. it is the emotional connection the brand establishes with its customers, and the deeper the connection, the stronger the brand loyalty.

We all have been there where we inadvertently brushed away better and more cost-effective products just to pick our favorite brand. And some brands have survived even after the imminent death of their products, and continue to live in our memory. And that is the true power of a brand.

So branding is a necessary part of the business, where you research, develop, and apply distinctive features to your product so that customers will connect with the brand and the organization’s products and services. It is a continuous process, to keep the brand relevant in the changing market, and even rebrand when it is necessary.

Terms Used in Branding

Here are some of the terms you need to be familiar with when we talk about Branding,

• Brand – Brand is the idea or the perception of your organization by the customer, everything thing forms this idea like, your product, the company vision, customer experience, etc. are part of the company’s brand.

• Branding – is the set of activities that are aimed at shaping the thoughts of your customer regarding your company.

• Brand Equity – it is the monetary value of your brand, in simple words; it means how much money the customer is willing to pay extra for the sake of the brand’s name, which is independent of the product’s value.

• Brand Awareness – it is the extent of the reach of your brand or how many people know about your brand.

• Brand Extension – it is a process by which a company uses the existing brand value to create a whole new line of products and services.

• Brand Management – Branding is an organic process it involves both tangible and intangible attributes. Brand management is the process of maintaining the brand’s image and reach by performing the necessary functions.

• Brand Trust – it is an intangible aspect that measures the level of confidence the customer vests in your brand.

Why does Branding Matter?

Creating a strong brand value goes a long way for the business. And here are a few other reasons why you should consider branding.

• Your brand communicates the company’s vision to the customer. And it sets you apart from your competitors

• The brand creates a sense of ownership among the staff of the organizations and motivates them

• The brand brings in new customers and helps maintain the connection with the existing customers. Studies show that 60% of customers buy from the brands they know, and 21% purchase products because they liked the brand

• A good brand lets the customers know what they can expect from the product and keeps the promise

• A brand is a value-add to the organization beyond the tangible assets. There are so many companies that are worth way beyond their physical assets, solely because of their brand.

Brand Marketing

Branding and Marketing are two different things but highly correlated. Marketing is an activity that promotes the business, product, and services. It is usually done by research and advertisement. So marketing a brand is to promote the brand, in other words, if the brand is the message, marketing is how it is being conveyed. Brand marketing is done to elevate the brand’s reach to the next level by growing the relationship between the brand and its consumers.

Read further about the Brand Manager Guide.

What is a Brand Marketing Strategy?

We know that Brand Marketing is a way to establish the brand by promoting its message to the consumer, and is usually done with the help of a Brand Marketing Strategy. Brand marketing strategy is a long-term plan to elevate the brand’s position and highlight its uniqueness.

Brand marketing strategy essentially tries to answer the following questions,

• How to create the brand’s story?

• How is it different from other brands?

• How does it make its customers feel?

These questions are not product specific and don’t try to gauge any intrinsic aspect of the product, rather it tries to talk about the principle on which the product is built and the strategy here is to have this vision reach its target customers.

What are the Characteristics of a Good Brand?

There are no exact formulae for building a good brand. But when you see one you can identify it with these characteristics.

Authenticity – it is as simple as staying true to what you do, how you do it, and your vision. Even if there are a lot of similar products and services in the market, you can strive for and achieve authenticity if the vision is clear.

Distinctiveness – being distinct and unique doesn’t mean the product strays away from the core deliverables. Rather it is about what the product offers what is the company’s specialty and what cannot be found in the competitors.

Relevant – even the best marketing strategy won’t work on a brand if it does not stay relevant to the customers’ needs and psyche.

Consistency – even if you have a great brand reach, the effort to market it should be consistent, to stay relevant in the changing times and not become outdated.

What are the Goals of a Brand Marketing Strategy?

Any strategy works only within its well-defined goals, while brand marketing strategy is about placing the brand and increasing its visibility in the market. Establishing the goals in the strategy helps in making a clear pathway to work around. Here are the objectives of a Brand Marketing Strategy,

• Developing the Brand’s Identity – Creating an identity is very important for your brand which people can instantaneously identify. And the marketing should be executed in a way that the brand’s message instantly connects with the customer. The brand’s identity could be any of these physical attributes like logos, name, video, etc. The attributes should be specific, non-ambiguous, and creative.

• Raising Brand Awareness – The sole purpose of brand marketing is to raise awareness so that more and more people will know about the brand. Hence it is an ongoing and continuous process, where you need to keep promoting the brand and its products.

• Building Brand Loyalty – Every product needs to meet a certain standard of quality to succeed. Brand loyalty is heavily dependent on the quality of the product. And at the end of the day, it is all about whether the brand meets the requirements or not. In Brand marketing, you need to establish a personality for the brand that mirrors its values.

How to Create a Brand Marketing Strategy?

Any marketing strategy strives to answer the three questions of ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘why’. In this section let us discuss the steps involved in answering these questions in brand marketing strategy.

• Identifying the target customer

• Establishing a mission statement

• Defining the features, values, and advantages

• Creating a brand image

• Finding a brand voice

• Branding process

Identifying the target customer –

Brand marketing strategy is aimed at creating and sustaining a loyal customer base. And every business is based on their customer, so for the branding to work you need to identify the target customer. For whom the product is built? Who is the buyer? How will the message reach the customer?

All these questions can only be answered only after determining the target customer. Target market and buyer personas are a quintessential part of the brand marketing strategy.

Mission Statement –

A mission statement embodies the vision on which the business was built. It is the answer to why the business was created in the first place. A mission statement will drive the organization with passion and purpose.

A mission statement is not something that is confined to the owner and the people involved in the creation of the business. The mission and vision of the brand need to be communicated to the customers via logos, design, ads, and every part of the branding process.

Your mission statement is the core reason for the existence of your organization and it conveys to the customers why they need to care about your organization.

Defining the unique features, values, and advantages –

 Brand help organization stand out in the crowd and differentiate them from their competitors. And this is achieved by defining the organizations' unique features, values, and advantages. The brand must be able to tell what your company can offer that others cannot.

It is not just about the product specification, it is about how the product improves life and how its value resonates with its customers.

Creating a brand image –

Once you have identified the target customers, established a mission statement, and listed the unique features of your product, you have to create an image for your brand that the customers will remember. A visual brand image is a valuable asset for organizations. Its reach of it will tell about the brand’s equity.

The visual asset for the brand needs to be crafted with much care. And they need to follow a brand guidelines on the color, design, etc. Brand guidelines are standard rules and regulations on how your brand will be represented.

Finding a brand voice –

Brand marketing strategy is all about how the organization will communicate with the customers, and it’s not always in print and text. Auditory communications are an important part of branding and finding the right voice and communication flow are very important. They are specific to products and services, still, the brand voice must be able to embody the values of the organization and follow the brand guideline, be it the tagline, campaign slogan, company motto, etc.  

Branding Process –

Once the brand is created in alignment with the vision, features, and guidelines, it is time to put them to work. The brand needs to be integrated all across the business and displayed everywhere the customer comes in contact with the product.

Here are a few interaction forums where you can showcase your brand,

• Website and social media

• Product packaging

• Advertising

• Customer service

Things to Keep in Mind While Branding

• While working on a brand, you need to treat it as a person and identify its personality and the experience it offers. The main aim of a brand is to establish a relationship with the customer. The best way to achieve this is to treat the brand as a person and study its interaction with the customer.

• Having a brand marketing strategy won’t help unless it is put to use as I mentioned earlier there are no formulae for success when it comes to branding but if you adhere to a good strategy you will see the results.

• Originality is a key factor when it comes to branding, it is easy to get swayed by what is out there, and sometimes even our inspiration might heavily influence our brand. But having a distinct brand should be the priority.

• Branding is the best way to hire people since a good brand will attract people towards it who are passionate and dedicated. And a strong brand will have proud employees and only employees who are passionate about their work can make products that stand the test of time.

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