Branding is one of those concepts that is both extremely simple and exceedingly complex at the same time. One of the most common questions we hear related to branding is: “Can a company like ours develop a brand?” The answer: “Absolutely! But…” Here’s the thing… Continue reading “Can (Fill In The Blank) Companies Develop a Brand?”
Tag: Brand Management
New LinkedIn Product Pages – Go or No Go?
LinkedIn recently announced the introduction of product pages—the ability for brands to create pages to highlight specific products. The big question for brands is: “worth it,or a waste of time”? Call me crazy, but I’m going with the latter. In fact, as I work with and monitor my own accounts as well as client accounts I’m very cognizant of the potential to dilute brand messages by using too many channels. Continue reading “New LinkedIn Product Pages – Go or No Go?”
Back to Branding: A 4-Step Process to Launch Your Brand Management Efforts
Branding is a fundamental task for any business, whether large or small, regardless of industry, and regardless of how long the business has been around.
Effective brands, research tells us, drive successful businesses.
Get it right and you will reap the rewards. Unfortunately, although the process can seem straightforward from an “academic” perspective, the real work of branding is an ongoing process that involves all areas of the organization, and all individuals in the organization. That’s part of what makes it such a challenge. You’ve probably heard the expression “like herding cats.” That’s exactly what brand management can feel like, especially for service organizations.
We work frequently with organizations and individuals to conduct brand assessments and develop and implement brand management plans designed to help them position their organizations (or themselves) to their target audiences. As we work together, we take a 4-step approach to help define and manage their desired brands:
1) Clarify how the client would like to be perceived. We generally go through a two-part exercise, including some kind of projective exercise (e.g. “if your organization was a house, what kind of house would it be; draw a picture…,” or “if your organization were a person, what would that person look like; tear out pictures from magazines…”). We develop a list of desired attributes based on these discussions.
2) Assess how their target markets currently perceive them. This includes employees (because they play a critical role as brand ambassadors), customers, prospects, community leaders, etc. The specific audiences vary by organization. We generally accomplish this step through research while might include both qualitative (focus groups/interviews) and quantitative (surveys). This step can also be a great communication tactic to help engage various audiences in the process and convey to them the core attributes you wish to be known for.
3) Identify the gaps between desired and perceived brand image. In some cases, this may mean that the audience doesn’t perceive you as strongly for a particular attribute as you would like to be perceived. In other cases the opposite is true. And, sometimes, you may find that your audience has positive perspectives of you that you hadn’t even considered and may wish to emphasize. Based on this gap analysis, you would prioritize the gaps to focus on; this will drive your communication strategies and tactics.
4) Develop a plan to close the gaps; this includes both marketing communication and operational strategies and tactics.
Most of this process is fairly straightforward and it’s not that difficult to get to step #4. But that’s where the challenges emerge. Why? Because most organizations view branding as a communication process. While communication is certainly part of the branding process, it is just a part. Operational issues also play a major role in how companies are perceived. For service businesses (e.g. health care organizations, professional services firms like law firms, consultancies, etc.) brand management is especially challenging because every interaction their target audiences have with their organizations serve to form impressions: this includes everything from how clean their parking lot is and how easy it is to find parking, to how their staff answers the phone, to how staff are dressed, etc., etc., etc.
It’s a worthy challenge though. If you’re up for the challenge, we have a number of additional blogs related to branding that you may find helpful.
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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Is It Time for a New Logo?
Recent logo changes by Google and Yahoo! have gotten the marketing and branding communities around the country buzzing. Neither change is significant which, from a branding standpoint, is significant. In fact, if you review most iconic brand logos over time (think Coca-Cola, Starbucks, McDonald’s, etc.), you’ll see only slight changes–often changes so slight that, if they hadn’t told us about the change, it’s likely that we wouldn’t even have noticed.
Why are these slight changes so prevalent among the top brands? Continue reading “Is It Time for a New Logo?”
Developing Your Personal Brand – Yes, You Have One!
As someone who grew up in a family-owned business and then worked in the field of PR/corporate communications for a number of years I’ve long been well aware of how my actions, or inaction, impact not only my reputation, but the reputation of the organizations I serve. From the day long ago when my father chastised me for not returning a greeting from a classmate we ran into at a local department store to early training as a PR/media relations rep I’ve known that what I did — on or off the job — made an impression. While that knowledge, especially as a child, was sometimes burdensome, in hindsight it has served me well.
Some other early lessons: Continue reading “Developing Your Personal Brand – Yes, You Have One!”
Common Online Marketing Mistakes
It seems that interest in online marketing is hotter than ever; every week it seems we get more questions from reporters, prospects and clients about do’s, don’ts and best practices of online communications. Last week we received a question about what we would view as the “Big 3” online marketing mistakes that we see businesses make, especially small businesses. Continue reading “Common Online Marketing Mistakes”
For Service Organizations, Employees Rule!
I have been working on the development of a training session on developing employees as brand ambassadors for a service organization and, as I’ve been conducting my research and gathering examples, I’m struck as always by the critical role that employees play in either strengthening or damaging the brand, and the woefully inadequate attention that most organizations pay to helping them be successful in that role. The organization I’m working with is a refreshing exception–they recognize the importance of establishing strategy at the top of the organizations, preparing managers to serve as coaches and role models for service excellence and setting the stage for effective employee engagement through communication.
The steps in the process seem fairly straightforward and linear: Continue reading “For Service Organizations, Employees Rule!”
Dancing Babies, Talk About Ship and Dads in Briefs: Creativity With Relevance Gets Results!
The Evian babies are back! In a new spot, which has received more than 41 million views on YouTube, adults find themselves face-to-face with their younger selves in a large mirrored window–and the dancing ensues. It’s adorable–but does it sell water? Where’s the relevance?
Contrast this spot to an equally creative–and far more out-of-the-box–spot Continue reading “Dancing Babies, Talk About Ship and Dads in Briefs: Creativity With Relevance Gets Results!”
If Your Audience Doesn’t Like Your Logo, Should You Change It? The University of California Did: And I Think They Made the Right Move.
This is an older story, but still an important lesson for organizations that decide to “mess with” their brand and its related images–like logos.
Late last year, the University of California system unveiled a new logo and they were immediately met with a firestorm of protest from various audiences. So, they decided to stop using it and go back to their original logo. Good move? Continue reading “If Your Audience Doesn’t Like Your Logo, Should You Change It? The University of California Did: And I Think They Made the Right Move.”
How to Generate Leads With a Limited Marketing Budget
In our technology-driven world, the good news for marketers is that lead generation does not have to take a huge investment. Traditional media still have a place, but the Internet and social media make it more cost-effective than ever to raise awareness, generate leads and ultimately create sales.
The process of lead generation is the same as it ever was, but Continue reading “How to Generate Leads With a Limited Marketing Budget”