Trigger Marketing

What is branding?

I get asked this a lot. Some think it means a shinny new logo. Some think it means a new advertising campaign, and some don’t have a clue.

My definition of branding is this:

“The sum of all experiences a customer has with a business that helps him/her form their perception of the company”

So branding is everything. Every interaction a customer has with your business is influencing their perception of your business in their mind.

And when I say everything, I mean everything from your signage, store front, invoices, advertising to how you answer the phone. Every “touch-point” you have with your customers.

So here’s the rub. You can brand your company to be what you want it to be, or you can leave it up to chance and let others (customers, competitors and staff) decide what your brand will be.

Think about that for a minute.

You work incredibly hard to start this business of yours, the long hours, the sweat, the worry and then you let other people decide what you will be known for and how your customers will think about you.

Are you kidding me?

When you started your business you had a vision of what it would be like when it grew up. Are you on your way? Are you sure?

All of us get caught up in the running of our businesses, putting out fires and solving problems. This can cause us to get complacent, lazy and unfocused. The little things can slip by and before you know it you’re losing customers and sales are slow or declining.

Branding is a 24 hour a day job. With so many competitors and exceptionally knowledgeable customers you need to stay sharp and on top of “the little things”.

So when you look at your business are you sure it’s growing up to be what you want it to be or are you just hoping?

Here is a simple 6-step branding recovery plan:
1. Look at your business as a customer would and identify every touch point
2. For each touch point, determine if you are delivering the value you need to?
3. Make the necessary changes
4. Make sure all of your people are on board
5. Get continuous customer feedback
6. Review this every month

This will take some time and effort to do, but it is probably the most important thing you could do for your business. Just like with anything else in your business if you need help to get this done, find it, but don’t wait another day.

To learn more, download our free eBook "Seat of your pants marketing - The 10 biggest mistakes small businesses make and what to do about it"

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