What is Brand Marketing
The dos and don’ts that will help you succeed.
Branding a business can definitely be complex. You want to project a comprehensive message
of your company, so you work on the name, logo, tagline, colors, and other collateral. Yet the
sheer amount of elements to consider can drive any creative marketer to wits’ end.
But let’s say that you put everything together. After months of research, brainstorming, and
endless meetings, you systematically gathered all the elements you need. You even documented
everything in a brand style guide and you are prepared for every mishap or inconsistency. All this
could make you wonder now what?
This is the obvious question as you advance in your branding journey. Perhaps you think that all
you have to do is put your branding elements out there, and they will automatically create top-
of-mind awareness for your brand. That would be nice but it’s also far from the truth.
Strong brands don’t rely on strong branding elements alone. They rely on a comprehensive
brand marketing strategy that brings the brand message to the consumers’ attention and
drives further engagements. To understand how this works, let’s explore what is brand marketing
and why it is important.
Made with Xara Cloud | Last updated 14 October 2020
Made with Xara Cloud | Last updated 14 October 2020
Don’t: Neglect Your Competition
Knowing your audience is important, but your competitors are the ones that are currently
crowding the market. You need to know who you’re up against in order to better position yourself
in front of your audience. If your competitor prides itself on being the cheapest, you could
highlight why quality trumps price when it comes to your product.
If you know your competition, you also know what to avoid in your branding elements. Imagine
choosing the same color palette as your competitor or having a very similar logo. That would do
nothing to position yourself as unique on the market.
Don’t: Work with Inconsistent Branding Elements
Creating all branding communications in the spur of the moment might stimulate your creativity,
but none of them will stick. On the contrary, they will confuse your audience and push them away
from your brand. You might already be attuned to your brand identity, but your audience sure
isn’t.
That’s why you need to aim for a consistent voice across channels and touchpoints. Whether
you’re posting on social media, considering brick and mortar store messaging, or customer
interactions among your sales professionals, your voice should reflect your brand identity. The
same goes for your visual materials. If you decide on a logo or color palette, make sure you use
the same across the board.
Don’t: Look for a Perfect Formula to Propel You to Success
It’s true, most marketing efforts can be measured and analyzed. But just because we can, it does
not mean that we should turn the results into a rule of thumb. At the end of the day, no two
companies share the same features or branding strategy. Even if they operate in the same
market and share the same target audience, they will have unique needs and identities to cater
to.
The reality is, there is no secret sauce or formula that will propel your business to success. The
best results often happen by chance, so don’t be afraid to experiment as long as you get t a
good grip on what your audience wants and needs.
Made with Xara Cloud | Last updated 14 October 2020
Brand Marketing Success — Are You There Yet?
Striking the right balance between your marketing and branding efforts is no easy feat. You need
to get in front of your audience and make them make a purchase, but without undermining your
long-term goals.
That’s why understanding the importance of brand marketing is essential to align long-term and
short-term goals and establish a loyal customer base. But don’t imagine that this will happen
overnight. A long journey riddled with interesting findings awaits.