THE POWER OF BRANDING
Before we get too far into this post, let me first clarify that no animals were hurt in the making of this blog post. This is because branding is not talking about sticking a hot piece of iron on an animal.
According to Entrepreneur.com, branding is defined as “The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products.”
Think of it as keeping your message consistent across all levels of products or applications to build recognition by consumers. This can be done through specific colors, fonts or images. For example, all of Crux Creative’s business cards, promotional products, website and even our office space play with our message of “We Design Bravely.” We have kept consistency with well specific imagery, fonts (both web and print) and colors (green and charcoal). With strategic planning and great creativity, we have created the Crux brand.
Strategic tactics and creativity must be defined and implemented to your intended audience. Here is a list of questions to ask yourself;
- Credible
Is your message showcasing you as an expert in your field and that you can provide solutions to your potential client’s needs? Your message is your promise to your target market! - Emotionally Connects
Does your message connect with your audience and will they remember you? - Clear and Effective Message
Messages need to be carefully planned around your target audience. For example, Nike is not going to go after Pizza Hut’s clients so the message should not be confusing but very direct and specific. A lot of times, researching is done to fully understand the needs and wants of the intended client base. This needs to stay consistent across all mediums so that the client isn’t confused with a lot of different messages. Different slogans or taglines are fine and we even used this strategy for our branding plan. Is your messaging clear and effective? - Motivational
Does your overall message encourage your client to choose you over your competition?
Finally, think of branding as your company’s personality!
