Branding is like an umbrella; it covers pretty much everything you do in business. And, to stay dry, especially during these challenging times, it’s important to make sure there aren’t any holes in it.
Obviously, the holes are the mistakes, but you can easily avoid them if only you’re aware of them. Let’s go through some of the biggest ones that you can’t really afford to make if you’re serious about developing your brand and growing your business.
Pricing that is not aligned with your brand identity
If your brand is supposed to “speak to” affluent business owners, for instance, your pricing needs to reflect that particular clientele. If even your most high end package is priced ridiculously low, they’ll probably get suspicious about the quality of your offerings and move on. Similarly, if your brand is geared towards a market with a history of investing exclusively in low to mid end items, you’re way off if you’re only selling very high end products and services.
Incompleteness – elements missing
Perhaps your brand has holes, too, just as your branding. So, do you “have all your ducks in a row” – are all your brand elements accounted for and aligned to form a clear, congruent and compelling brand? If there are parts missing, like the message, the values, the mission, the promise, a well-defined brand image, etc., your potential clients will see it and sense it and smell it – and most likely, hesitate to do business with you. After all, a confused mind always says no.
Marketing and selling that are not reflecting your brand identity
Your marketing and selling system needs to be in alignment with your brand, too; not only visually – i.e. displaying your brand colors, fonts, imagery, etc. in all your marketing and sales materials and using them for all your marketing and sales activities – but also in terms of your brand identity. The specific language you use, the marketing and selling methods you choose, the unique style of presenting an offer you develop – it all counts. Boring is out. Tall poppies are in.
Unclear values
Do you know what does your brand stand for? What are the values it promotes, not only in words, but in the value provided to the clients through services and/or products? For instance, if one of your top brand values is family, does your business, with its offerings, communication style, working hours, pricing, etc. support clients’ family life? If not, what can you do to fix it?