Brand goes way beyond logos and taglines. Brand is the customer’s perception of your products or services.
Every touch point with the customer defines and reinforces your brand. This includes how you answer the phone, your appearance or the appearance of your sales force, your website etc.
It is critical for your business to manage this perception and to differentiate yourself from your competition.
Does your customer’s perception match the personality you want them to see?
Here are a few points to consider:
1. Are you really different?
What differentiate you from your competition? Please, don’t say it is customer service, quality or good price. These are expected and cannot be considered added benefit.
What differentiates you must be relevant to your customer and unique to your company.
2. Do you and your customers speak the same language?
Use their words and not your own. Pay attention to what your customers say when they interact with your company. On your website, find out what the search terms are.
3. Always remember you are selling to people and not to businesses. If you do B-to-B remember that it is really B-to-P. Business to person.
4. What is the emotional gain that your customer receives when doing business with you?
Make things simple and meaningful to your customers. Do not complicate.
5. Consider every point of contact an opportunity to reinforce your message. Use everything you can to get your brand reinforced, your website, packaging, direct mail, appearance.
6. Make your message relevant and special to the person placing the order.
Think of your brand as a persona instead of a commodity.
Defining and refining your business personality, or brand is a necessity. Your business should be constantly re-evaluated to make sure the message is consistent with your audience.
Remember that your audience is made of people with real lives, dealing with daily challenges.
Don’t leave up to the customer to decide your brand, this is up to you.