A recent survey of 500 marketing employers in the UK by the marketing firm Michael Page has named ‘brand’ as the most important marketing function.
Why is branding so important?
- In order to make your business/company stand out
- To deliver a clear message
- Make your business seem credible
- Motivate customers to buy your product
- Encourage brand loyalty in your customers (as well as repeat purchases)
- To add value to your product
- To help customers not just remember your product, but to see it as the best solution to their problem
With more and more marketers emerging as your competition, branding is the best way to make you or your product stand out from the crowd.
Having a strong brand is important, especially as when as an affiliate, you’re pretty much selling the same product as several hundred other people.
Branding is certainly not over-rated.
It’s important to spend time researching, defining and building your brand.
A brand is one of the foundations of marketing communication, and one you shouldn’t be without because it shows your image to the world.
Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customers.
How to Create a Brand
1. Create an awesome logo
Okay, so mine isn’t the best example.
It’s not as awesome as it could be. And to be honest I actually only paid a guy $5 to do it for me on Fiverr.
But you get the idea.
A logo can be simple, yet important when it comes to creating your brand.
Whether it’s an image or primarily text, you want something that people can recognize, remember and associate with your company/product almost instantly.
Here’s a tip. Don’t try to design or create a logo on your own.
Gather some friends and brainstorm.
You probably have some rough ideas of your own, so get more from your friends and fine-tune things.
Look at other successful logos and get ideas of what works and what doesn’t.
2. A good slogan
Again, I realize it’s not the greatest. But yeah.
Once you have a logo, getting a slogan for your product or business is next in line.
Think up something short and simple, something catchy that people will remember and associate with your logo and brand.
It doesn’t necessarily have to contain your brand name in it, either.
Here, have a look at some famous slogans used by brands in today’s world and see if you can recognize them:
- Finger lickin’ good.
- The happiest place on Earth.
- Connecting people.
- Impossible is nothing.
- I’m loving it.
- Think Small.
- Quality never goes out of style.
- Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.
If you didn’t get them, those are KFC, Disneyland, Nokia, Adidas, McDonalds, Volkswagen, Levis and M&Ms – but I’m sure you got most of them, if not all.
There you have it – a good slogan can help make your brand easily recognizable and memorable in your customer’s eyes.
3. Show Your Personality
People want to hear your opinion, not read the same news as they can on another website
Your opinion on that news is what they’re really interested in.
Think of how some bloggers are famous just for writing their blogs. They give their blog posts personality and character, and this keeps their readers interested and makes them stick around.
People are more interested in people than in businesses, so give your company a face.
And don’t be afraid to stir up a little controversy once in a while.
4. Be true to your brand
As I mentioned, your brand is a promise to your customers.
If you don’t deliver on your promises, your customers won’t stick around, nor will they recommend your product or business to others.
Stay consistent to your brand’s image and build your reputation as a brand that is trustworthy.
5. Network to create brand awareness
One of the best ways to make your product known to your audience is through networking.
Connect with others who are in the same business as yourself, and form relationships with your audience as well. This will help you to grow your business and your brand in the long run.
Comment on blogs, use social networks to get involved with your customers and create relationships with them. Give your brand an online presence and get it known to people.
Don’t view your competitors as enemies. But rather as potential business partners and friends.
