Brand Building

Suparno Sarkar
What is a Brand?
A brand is the sum of all feelings, thoughts and
recognitions - positive and negative - that people
in the target audience have about a company, a
product or service.- Steve McNamara
What is brand building and why do you
need it?
Companies have personalities. Some companies, especially
small companies, reflect the personality of the owner,
the founder, or the CEO. Companies have a culture.
And they have values, such as compassion,
achievement, learning, or innovation. If you want to
establish your brand then you need to highlight these
things. Your brand image should reflect who you are,
how you operate, and how you're different from your
competitors. In essence, your brand image is a promise
- a promise that must be kept.
Continued
Now as you have a clear idea regarding what brand building is, you
may ask why do you need it?
Think about a small business owner who is certainly aware of the
fierce competition for market share. How do you rise above the
crowd and competitors? How do you permeate and dominate
the marketplace? The answer is pretty simple. Your brand.
Developing a bold brand identity will build mind share one of the
strongest competitive advantages imaginable. As a result, your
customers will think of your business first when they think of
your product category. For example, what springs to mind when
you think of fast food? More likely than not, it is McDonalds.

Things to remember before creating
your brand
What is your brand's vision?
What values does your company subscribe to?
What are the good and bad features/attributes of your brand (company,
product, service)?
What are the bad aspects of your brand, and how can you dispose of them?
What are the practical benefits associated with each of the good
features/attributes?
Can you extend those features and benefits to form emotional characteristics
for the consumer?
What are the emotional reasons why customers might buy your
products/services?
How can you use the brand personality to attract and retain more customers?
How can you deliver on the promise of your brand?
How are you going to generate more trust in your brand-customer
relationship?

How to create a brand?
There is a difference between a company and a
brand. For example, You have heard about
Classmate notebooks and Sunfeast biscuits. But
do you know who manufactures these products?
The company is ITC. But what is ITCs main
product? Wills cigarette! They kill people silently
but highlight that they donate a share of their
profit they earn from Classmate notebook sales!
Continue
So what is the moral of the story? You can be a
devil, but hide that and highlight your Godly
face. The thing is, it never matters who you are
but how people recognize you. If people have a
good perception about your product or service,
even if you are not the best, you will sell more
than your competitors, and remember the core
reason for creating a brand is sales!
Continued
Now as you have a clear idea what brand is, why
its important and how tricky the process is, I will
share some simple steps with you. Follow these
and over times you will create your brand.
Remember that brands are never created
overnight, so be patient and keep up the good
work.
15 tips you can follow
Logo
Reinforce the relationship and trigger recognition with consistent visual symbols. These
symbols can include everything from a color scheme and logo to a brand character,
or images of the president or founder of the company.

Tagline - A tagline is a short phrase, not a sentence, that conveys what your
company does. Include a action verb and clarify what product or service your company
provides.


Personality
Create a personality for the company, the product or service. Just as you would for a real
person, reflecting aspects of the actual reputation, attitudes and behavior. Choose the
way that you wish to speak to your customers. Do you want to project an strict image
using only formal, stilted speech? Would you rather be informal and relaxed? Talk to
your customers like they would speak to you.


Continued
Relationship
Build a relationship with your target audiences based on the brand's
personality, history, and benefits of the relationship.

Advertising
Build this relationship consistently over time, using advertising in addition to all
other communications.

Brand story
Be sure to craft a brand story, whether short or long, that introduces the brand
and communicates brand values and history.
Continued
Know your audience
You must first have a clear understanding of your audience, especially before you
begin creating content strategies and communication plans.

Identify your reasons-to-believe
Your brand promise is irrelevant if your customers do not believe it. Therefore, your
promise must be supported by reasons-to-believe. This will automatically add
substance to the promise and define specific expectations for the customer. Dont
promise something you are not capable to deliver.

Determine the most influential touch points.
All touch points are not created equal. Some will naturally play a larger role in
determining your company's overall customer experience. For example, if your product
is ice cream, taste is typically more important than package design. Both are touch
points, but each has a different effect on our customers experiences as a whole.

Continued
USP
When creating a brand, you do not want to imitate the others in the field. You want your
brand to stand completely on its own, so there will be no question of what the
customer thinks of them they think of your company. Stand out above the crowd.

Design your social media blueprint
What types of interactions do you want your customers to have with your business? Is
Facebook right for you or is Twitter more up your alley? Its important to start by
listening and observing who is talking about your brand. If no one is, spark up the
conversation.

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
Its an excellent tool to create your brand. Everyone notices a company instantly when it
does some social work. You can donate money for an orphanage or organize plant a
tree campaign. You may just plant one tree in the whole year but that hype and
exposure to media will make you noticeable.

Some more tips
Organize press conference
Have done something great? Organize a press conference and share it with
others. The more you tell, the more you sell. We designed Sudan FA website.
It was inaugurated by FIFA President Blatter! Does anyone in Kolkata know?

Participate in corporate events (Quiz, Seminar etc.)
If the company encourages the employees to take part in corporate quiz or
seminars, they will get media exposure. You can be 3
rd
in the quiz but your
company name is somehow echoed in the corporate world.

Organize events
You may not be the best at what you do. But if you start meeting the best in the
business and start developing connections then you will learn and earn at the
same time. You will learn where are your shortcomings and how you can
reach the numero uno spot. Also one you start organizing an event it gives
you a large platform to impress your future clients.
Final words
Branding is the ability of people to associate a
business with a word or a visual symbol.
Example, Just do it or Apples logo. The end
result is to get customers to take action and
choose your business. Its a time taking process
that needs dedication and honesty. Keep your
promises and fulfil the expectations you have
created, constantly. Because if building a brand
is a tough job then maintaining a brand is even
tougher.
Resources
Links to the sites
http://www.brandingasia.com/
http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/about/
http://thesocialrobot.com/