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Take this 10 point quiz to find out: 1. Do you have all the customers or clients that you need? If you can answer yes to the above questions, you’ve got a real point of differentiation — a sustainable competitive advantage at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for consumers to tell one product or service from another. But, if you’re like most organizations, you’re not there yet. You’ve got great products and services, but you just don’t seem to be “connecting” with all of your customers. Some of your customers like you well enough, but they’re not actually raving fans, and they’re just as likely to defect if something less expensive or more interesting comes along. And who knows if they recommend you? They probably don’t, especially if you don’t ask them to. Your customers feel distanced from you — they feel like they’re doing business with an organization rather than with people, so they don’t mind leaving you for a competitor, and they figure you won’t mind — after all, they don’t really know you, you’re just a business. What’s the harm? The harm is you can’t afford to lose the customers you worked so hard to get. You just don’t stand out from the competition — and the competition is getting tougher. It’s hard to really describe what makes you different or better, isn’t it? You think your customer service is better, and that should be enough for customers to buy and stay. But it’s not and they don’t. You think you really care about your customers, and they should recognize that and continue to buy from you. But they don’t recognize it, and they leave when something else catches their eye. And yet some organizations create raving fans, stand out in the marketplace, and demand premium prices. Why is that? It’s in
the power of their brands.
Brands need to be managed in order to grow strong. When branding an organization, branding problems really boil down to three main scenarios: 1. Organizations that try to be what they think their customers want them to be 2. Organizations that have done nothing to control their brand, and are a jumbled collection of mismatched looks and messages 3. Organizations
that get mired in analysis paralysis — over-thinking
market segmentation, competitive positioning, value propositions, long-term
objectives, short-term objectives, qualitative research, quantitative
research, etc. etc. etc. Do you recognize your organization in this list? You can break these dead end patterns. Most organizations don’t stand out in the marketplace “sea of sameness.” And because they don’t stand out, they are not connecting with potential customers. These weak brands strain resources and give the feeling of working harder for less. The main reason most organizations don’t stand out is because they don’t know “who” they are. 1. Some think
they need to be like their potential customers in order to connect with
them, so they bend over backwards trying
to be what they think the market wants them to be. They try on
many different looks and change with the trends, having many different
images and personalities at the same time, or one after the other. 2. Some organizations
just don’t pay
attention. Their business groups work in silos, and, under the guise
of decentralization or pushing down authority, the brand has run amok. 3. And still other organizations work on their brands . . . and work, and work, and work. They go from one branding agency to the next, trying to get the “right formula” for success. Or they spend a bundle and years worth of time doing research and having meetings and never making a decision. Or they make a decision, but after all that “work,” the brand solution is so beaten to a pulp that no one remembers how they got there or what the point was anymore. Think about the value of being “yourself.” It makes sense to look inward for the basis of your organization’s brand. So, okay, let’s think about this for a moment. Isn’t the purpose of corporate branding to present your organization to your audiences? Don’t you actually want your customers and potential customers to know you, to recognize you, and to connect with you? And if marketing is like having a conversation, a relationship with your customers — don’t you think they should get to know the real you? Organizations need to be authentic with branding. They need to find their own identities based on their values, character, and personality, and translate these identities into strategic representations. Then, these authentic representations, when used with consistency over time, will help customers recognize and connect emotionally with them, so the organization can gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Think about your favorite brands. They got where they are by being authentically themselves — think the freedom of individualism, like Harley-Davidson. Or cool design on a budget, like Target. Or a great brand experience, like Starbucks. You get the point. They’re themselves, and you love them for it. And you can do the same thing with your brand. The truth is that good customer service and caring about your customers
are not enough. You need a With the right kind of branding, you can: We’ve developed a process to help you As a strategic marketing and branding firm, we’ve been working with companies of all sizes since 1984, helping to develop and position brands and market products and services. We became frustrated with the traditional marketing and branding firm approach to branding, and knew our clients were, too. We needed a better way to make sure we were hitting the mark for our clients, and looked for ways to develop brand strategies that not only “fit” our clients and created powerful connections with their customers, but also strategies that could be executed efficiently and economically. Read what our clients have to say about our methods:
Real results for real companies. We have used our branding processes successfully with many of our clients, including an international home products manufacturer and distributor, an international glass fiber manufacturer, and an international tableware manufacturer.
When the company emerged from bankruptcy, it presented a strong, new image at the industry trade show in Paris. The “new” company received excellent media reviews regarding the impression it made in the market. Within months, due to customer demand, plant output increased by 20%.
Our process allowed branding to continue on a tight time frame and limited budget with many decision makers to satisfy. The group took immediate ownership of the process and used the brand strategy to communicate key messages to the rest of their departments.
We re-branded the group of companies with key messages and elements that represent the expanded brand. A brand road map was also created to ensure consistency throughout the company’s communications. By developing brand consistency throughout all of the communication vehicles, brand equity was greatly enhanced (measured by customer comments and reactions and through the media) while ad production costs were cut by 60%. Refocusing the brand resulted in a savings to the company in excess of $200,000.00 in the first year. Start now to harness the power of your brand. Customers are no longer content to be told what to do by the historical brand leaders. The marketplace is open to newcomers with new and different products and services, which means brand loyalty can no longer be taken for granted. Gen X and Gen Y are new kinds of consumers who are not influenced by the number of years a company has been in business. Opportunity is everywhere for companies that act. Those that don’t will be left behind. Today’s consumers want brands that speak to them and to their needs. The Internet has opened the market to everyone who has a product or service and can devise a way to distribute it. These changes make branding and the brand connection a critical part of any organization’s communication planning — brands must get into the customer’s head and heart if they want to be more than a commodity. Ready to get started? Email
me for an appointment or call me at 419-472-8808. 4461 W. Alexis Road P.O. Box 816 |
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Uncover the character and personality of your brand
in order to connect powerfully
with customers
We
used our branding process to align the expectations and perceptions of
a large management group, in addition to creating a new brand for the
company which had just filed for bankruptcy, had acquired a new owner,
and was going through tough union negotiations. They were challenged by
price competition from Chinese companies, and were in danger of losing
large portions of a previously loyal market. It was necessary for the company
to present a stable image during a
difficult period in order to retain their existing customer base and attract
new customers. 