Branding 101 for the Modern Day

When a business wants to make a profit, they need to understand that they have to go beyond simply buying and selling their specific product/service. Even if you believe that have created a niche product/service all you need to do is just go on the Internet and search for that same niche product/service and just see the sheer number of people other than you who are selling it.

Smart entrepreneurs understand that what you need to do in order to distinguish yourself from the rest of the sellers on the market by giving them something specific. For example, even within the purview of ‘workplace boots’, you will find that there are quite a few options you can go. Boots made by Timberland or Caterpillar are almost the same, but there are a few things which distinguish them from each other. Caterpillar usually has boots which are steel-toed, while Timberland uses the special Gore-Tex waterproofing material.

This distinguishing characteristic is one of the first elements of creating a unique brand.

Elements of a Brand

In addition to offering the customers with something which they don’t get from other brands, there are also a number of other reasons as to how you will be able to create a great brand, and many of these points are actually connected with the distinct voice that you have created for the brand.

Establishing a brand means that you have a competitive edge, and are willing to step up to the field and let the customers decide who they want to choose. This competitive streak is something that has won Apple accolades and eventually leads to them becoming the brand of choice for customers who are interested in electronic gadgets and products. Few remember them in the nineties when they were struggling with their Power Macs, but when they started to break into the mainstream in the early 2000s with their iPod MP3 players their popularity skyrocketed.

Why Social Media Matters in Building a Brand Image

Effective communication doesn’t just end with the sender communicating with the receiver, it ends when the receiver has sent their feedback to the sender, and in this day and age it has become very easy to communicate with a brand through the help of social media networks.

Many brands have their own pages on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook, and this makes it very easy to get in touch with them. Since many people have accounts on social media networks, all they have to do is to write something on the brand’s page.

These days, the success of a brand is directly impacted by the level of online interaction that they have with their customers. The more they interact with the customers, the more trustworthy they seem, thus helping to increase sales. Since a lot of commerce these days is driven by online customer reviews, brands which are open to discussing the faults with the product or service earn the respect of the customers, thus helping to build a loyal customer base. A brand is nothing if it doesn’t have the trust of the customers.

Daily interaction through posting interesting blogs and informative articles also affects the loyalty of a brand. Creating noise on platforms such as Google+, Tumblr, Facebook and LinkedIn helps to engage the customer base and increases their knowledge about the particular brand/service.

What do you feel constitutes brand success in the modern day? You can leave your comments below and let us know!