No matter who you are and how successful your company is, there is always competition waiting to wreak havoc if you give even an inch. If you want consumers to choose your brand over another in the same industry, you have to make them see you as the solution to their problem, and as a company that truly understands them.
Branding plays a very important role in business marketing, and can take many forms. A brand is made up of it’s name, slogan, symbols, and other elements that become synonymous with the company. These distinctions help you to differentiate your company from the competition, and are also an important part of recognition and staying top of mind.
A brand is your company’s most important asset. It shows experience, reputation, quality and credibility.
Let’s talk more about the importance of branding for marketing.
The Importance of Branding
There are many important objectives relating to building a brand:
- To deliver a message.
- To show and confirm your credibility.
- To connect your products/services to your prospective customers emotionally.
- To create consumer loyalty.
All else equal, great branding gives you a distinct advantage over your competition. To win over your target market, a good branding strategy must be implemented. Done correctly, the strategy will mirror your brand. You create a reputation through your strategy, and customers and potential customers will remember you by your brand.
Your brand is a long-term asset not to be underestimated. Even if a product under a particular brand fails, or the company was bought/sold, the brand will still remain. Consider the example of Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC, who sold the food chain in 1964 – but the original branding still remains.
Branding doesn’t mean there’s no flexibility or room for change. There may be upgrades or changes with your slogan or logo, but for the most part, popular brands tend to remain the same even after new owners take over.
A good brand lasts for many years with minimal change. Consider the case of Coca-Cola, an immensely popular and profitable brand that’s been around for more than 120 years.
Role of Social Media for Branding
The modern rules of branding state that social media marketing is a must have strategy for branding.
Social media and Google are best friends (though no one could tell you the exact extent of that friendship). Social media marketing is great for SEO, and Google champions the needs of a user searching for something specific.
As you should well know, today’s customers rely on the internet to help solve their problems. Therefore, smart brands use social media as a way to show that their business is a brand that can be trusted. Integrated with social media, testimonials, online reviews and other feedback help to establish this level of trust.
A well-leveraged brand on social media invites consumers to engage with them. By creating a dialog (nonexistent in more traditional advertising methods), your brand can create a genuine connection and act on valuable feedback from consumers.
Why Consistency Matters for Branding
You can shape how people perceive your organization through your brand, and consistency helps you manage that perception. Consistency communicates professionalism, purpose and stability.
Some companies find branding to be more trouble than it’s worth, but consistent branding eliminates a lot of customer confusion. Many companies spend thousands of dollars before deciding on their final branding. Well-established/consistent brand standards can protect your investment in the brand.
Consistency is a form of customer service. Mevato customers have found that giving customers a great experience even while waiting will make them want to come back on your establishment.
Any digital channels can be used to communicate a brand’s purpose as part of brand communication or engagement. Social media branding is an important part of digital branding.
Amplify your brand offers and image through digital channel like digital signage, wifi splash pages, or even with the music you play inside your establishment.
Make people remember your brand, and everything that revolves around it. Build a long lasting brand impression with the use of Mevato Display, Social WIFI, and Music for Business. Schedule a free demo today to see how Mevato can help your company’s brand do more.
Great marketing inspiration from a global brand, and a Mevato customer. All assets are copyright of Acebounce. Acebounce uses Mevato’s Social Marketing Display to accelerate their loyalty marketing.
