When it comes to attracting new customers to your business, perception isn’t everything – it’s the only thing. Building a brand identity that leaves the best first impression is vital as that impression is the one that lasts. Regardless the size of your business and no matter how specific your market, branding brings your business strategy to life, giving it a face and personality to which customers can relate.

While an effective visual identity is an important element of a good brand, finding one is really the last step in the brand building process. In building your strategic marketing plan, you’ve already assessed the competitive environment and have looked ahead to anticipate changing market trends. You’ve also completed the necessary research to understand what your current and prospective customers are looking for and what will make them buy. Now, you need to ensure that the branding of your product or service delivers the right messages to do just that. Your brand should communicate what your company delivers, how it delivers it, the benefits it offers customers and the values it stands for. These are the true bases for your customers’ buying decisions.

To build a brand that will bring your business strategy to life, focus on the following key points:

• Identity:
  Your brand should reflect the essence of your business. Do you offer convenience and service? Quality and assurance? Motion and flexibility? Taste and style? Innovation and resolution? What are some of the key words that describe what your business is all about?
  
  
• Personality:
  If your business were a person, how would you describe him or her? Young and hip? Experienced and worldly? Sophisticated and refined? Witty and fun? Meticulous and precise? Get to know your business as you would a person and your customers will, too.
  
  
• Benefits:
  What’s in it for your customers? That’s what they want to know, and your brand had better tell them, right up front. Use your market intelligence to the fullest in developing benefit statements that make choosing your business a ‘no-brainer’.
  
  
• Value Proposition:
  What makes your product worth the price you’re asking? Does it save time? Improve performance? Add beauty? Prevent problems? Build networks? Remove obstacles? Replace the obsolete? Find a way to quantify the value of your product just as your customer will.
  
  
• Positioning:
  Brand positioning establishes a place for your business in the minds of your customers. In the strategic planning process you identified where you wanted your brand to be, so every message associated with your brand must consistently place it there. Are you the supplier with the product of the best quality? The lowest price? The widest selection? The longest track record? The best overall value in class?

Building a brand that will resonate with prospects, customers and employees is critical to success. Once your brand is established, delivering your brand message to the right target markets is the next piece in the puzzle - check the next issue of 5th Insight for more on this and other smarter marketing strategies to meet today’s business challenges.

For more information on building an online lead generation strategy and how we can help, contact 5th Business. Our Smarter Marketing approach can help deliver more to your customers - and your bottom line.