A successful brand lives in the minds and hearts of your customers. It is all of the things they think of when they imagine your company or your product.
Are you clear in your mind what branding is and what makes a brand successful? There is much mystery surrounding marketing and in particular branding. This article’s here to lift the lid on this critical topic and help provide you with a quick, easy to digest overview.
What is a brand?
Branding comes from the term used where farmers literally branded their cattle to establish ownership. Today, we use the word to describe a name, term, logo, symbol, sign or design that is used to identify one sellers good and/or services from those of others.
As a concept, Philip Kotler, often referred to as the Godfather of marketing, offers the following definition:
“A brand is a promise to your customers, the totality of perceptions about a product, service or business, the relationship customers have with it based on passed experiences, present associations and future expectations…brand reality is always defined by the customer’s view.”
In today’s ever increasingly competitive market it is vital for your success to be able to differentiate yourself from the competition. As consumers, our expectations are high and we expect a lot. As Marketers say “you need to sell the sizzle”. As a self-confessed Starbucks addict, I know that it isn’t just the coffee that makes me a fan it’s far more ethereal than that – it is the brand that has done its job by making me feel somehow connected and part of something. I am willing to pay an extortionate amount for a cup of coffee because I somehow feel it’s worth it!
“A great brand raises the bar — it adds a greater sense of purpose to the experience, whether it’s the challenge to do your best in sports and fitness, or the affirmation that the cup of coffee you’re drinking really matters.” – Howard Schultz, CEO, and chairman of Starbucks
Brands have become an integral part of modern life and we use them as an extension of ourselves. The choices that we make say a lot about who we are as individuals. The best brands create a special relationship with customers based on intangible qualities that evoke strong emotional responses – Apple is a great example of this.
What makes a good, strong brand?
A successful brand:
- Clearly and consistently delivers a clear message
- Affirms & confirms your credibility
- Makes an emotional connection with your target prospects
- Creates a motivation for the buyer
- Establishes, encourages and maintains loyalty
“Brands were founded in response to consumers’ desire for predictability and above-all protection. Brands are ‘trustmarks’ that embody for consumers a commitment to quality, value for money and reliability.” – Paul Jackson, Media Smart®
Brand = Promise
Your brand is the source of a promise to your clients/customers and demonstrates your business’ entire philosophy about what you can do for them.
It should start with defining who your target market is as your brand position resides more in their hearts and minds than it does yours. It is your prospects/ clients/ customers’ experience of your brand and how they perceive you to be that counts. What you want to do is persuade, and then reaffirm that by choosing you they have made the right choice.
You have to be client centric in your approach. Everything else should feed to and from this. Constantly ask yourself “what do my clients’ want? What do they need? What do they expect? What is their perception of the value of what I provide? How can I do better?”
Within the field of facial aesthetics, your brand is particularly important. When providing clients with laser treatment, fillers and peels you are not selling them an ‘off the shelf’ product, you are selling them an experience, you are selling them a better, younger-looking, smoother-skinned version of themselves. You are providing them self-confidence which is a hugely powerful commodity.
Unique Customer Benefits
So, why should a client decide to come to your clinic for their treatment and not your competitors? What can you offer your clients?
The market is not defined by what do you but what your customer wants. So, instead of thinking about USPs, look at the UCBs – unique customer benefits. what someone will get from using your clinic, your service, rather than just a list of features. This will help you make a connection.
Consistency
You will often hear marketers harping on about the importance of integration and consistency and this is for a very good reason. In order to build your brand, all of your marketing communications must reflect what is trying to be portrayed as this is how new prospects will judge your abilities as a practitioner and will persuade them to make an appointment and not just an enquiry. It also reaffirms to existing clients that they have made the right choice.
The quality of the marketing material is perceived by prospects and clients to match the quality of care and treatment they will get from your practice and what they are willing to pay. So, if you want to charge top-end prices your website and marketing material need to be top-end too.
Are you ‘on brand’ in all that do?
So, do you think your business has the right brand? Are you getting the right message across to your target market? Take time out to cast a critical eye over the following:
- Your visual identity and marketing communications including social media
- You & your entire team – don’t underestimate the importance of good personnel. You need everyone to be a brand ambassador
- The prospect/client journey. Literally ensure that every touch point of your business is ‘on brand’. This is the brand experience
You can get your unique brand’s personality across through bespoke photography and video and the use of real testimonials and real people. Make sure you’re standing out from the crowd and giving your customers something they’re proud to be associated with. By building and strengthening your brand you‘re looking to achieve awareness, recognition, interaction and engagement and ultimately, loyalty.
So the next time you purchase your favourite product or experience your chosen brand’s particular service, think to yourself, what makes them special and why have I chosen to buy from them.
About the author:
Many thanks to Zoe Davitt, Managing Director of Blue Horizons Marketing, for this guest blog.
