What is a marketing brand and why is it so important?

By Sandy Barragan, One Step Services Senior Marketing Consultant

Every day, we as consumers are presented with choices of products to buy or services to hire. From print media to television to radio ads to billboards, the images of companies that are vying for our business constantly look for new and better ways to get you to part with your hard-earned dollars.  No matter what the business, no matter what the forum, the successful companies all have one thing in common:  they present their wares to the consumer in an instantly recognizable marketing brand.

When most people think of branding, they think of companies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Starbucks, Budweiser, Target and Nike.  As you read those names, every one of you already put in a picture in your mind of their logos and probably even some of their ads. Their campaigns hinge on consumer recognition of their brand and, therefore, the products they sell.  There is no difference between the marketing strategy of the Fortune 500 companies and every smaller business: get people to remember who you are, what you sell and they will buy from you.  Amazingly, a very small percentage of businesses have professionally developed brands, which has increased the failure rate of most companies to a less than 5-year survival rate nationwide.

An identity for your business is the key to consumer confidence in your product or service.  If the advertising they see continually reflects the who and what, you have conquered more than half the battle.   When you think of the right identity for your business, think of these three things:

• What image of myself do I want to portray and what are the key elements of my business (i.e., do you cater to a specific demographic, would your products be sold in a specific geographic area, what is my strongest selling point)?

• What type of colors are best suited to my business that reflect the emotional pull of my product or service?

• What is the most important aspect of what I sell and how does it appeal to consumers (i.e., ease of use, experience in a particular field, lower pricing and better service, do I sell a unique product)?

Once you have answered those questions, the design process has an outline to follow in the development of advertising that will give the “pull” necessary to increase sales and consumer capture rate.   While your message may change based on the result you wish to achieve in your marketing pieces (for example, a special sale, in-store promotion, new product offer or value-added service), the overall look of your advertising needs to remain consistent in order for your business to achieve success in the marketplace.

The benefits of a brand can be summed up in one word:  recognition.  A well-designed marketing identity achieves each of the following goals:

• Makes your business look larger and more professional

            Many people determine the worthiness of a business based on a first-impression.

• Helps you standout from your competition

            Being the go-to business for a consumer is directly tied to them remembering who you are in the first place.

• Creates consumer confidence

            The fact that you present yourself in a stable, “I am here to stay” manner makes them more likely to contact you.

• Generates consistency in your materials

            No matter where a consumer sees your advertising, they will know it came from you and it reinforces your product or service in their mind.

• Attracts more clients

            You never get a second chance to make a first impression and a quality brand increases the chances of getting calls from consumers attracted to your quality or products or services based on your marketing pieces.

• Puts more punch into your advertising

            Don’t let your marketing materials sabbotage your efforts. Competition in every marketplace is fierce, don’t scare a potential client  away, get them to heed your call to action with a compelling marketing piece.

Your marketing

campaign is crucial

to the success

of your business.

You need to make

yourself

stand out from the

crowd,

force potential clients

to recognize you and

what you sell.

A brand identity is the

first step to making

the next person

that sees your ad

take notice

and act.