Branding means to create an identifiable entity which makes a promise of value. This term is largely used in the business world. Through branding you can create an image or an awareness of your business. It is your company’s personality. The following are the top 10 most common mistakes when it comes to branding.
1. Inability to think analytically.
Many companies treat branding as marketing or as having a logo or a catch phrase. It has got to do with more than just grabbing attention. A brand enables you to grab client’s attention on a consistent basis. Branding also represents something that cannot be got from your competitors. For instance it can be offering the best customer service in your industry.
2. Non-maintenance of your brand.
Businesses tend to alter their identity very often in a shaky economy. This can confuse steady customers. You must think of big brands — Nike, for instance, who made use of “Just Do It” as a logo for several years. It takes a while for your logo, tagline, and branding efforts to sink in with customers. Hence you must not change it very often.
3. Trying to please everyone.
You cannot brand yourself in such a way that it appeases everyone. What you can do typically is concentrate on the niche market for your product.
4. Lack of knowledge of who you really are.
You must not profess to be someone who you really are not. Several entrepreneurs imagine that they are offering something that they don’t. You must make a honest analysis of your strengths and weaknesses of what you can do best.
5. Lack of wholehearted commitment to branding.
Most often than not business owners allow the advertising and marketing department handle such things as “branding,” while they turn towards working on sales aspect and other such things. But branding and sales are also important aspects of your business. Smart branding has made several Fortune 500 companies to a great position and have made them household names.
6. Not sharing the joke.
If only the staff in your office get the message or joke, it is not going to appeal to the large audience. This is also true when it comes to branding. Your brand cannot succeed if it is just created for you and not for them.
7. Lack of a dedicated marketing plan.
Although several companies think of ways and means to market themselves and create a brand identity, they have neither the plan nor resources on the way they will reach their audience. You must have a chalked out marketing plan so that your branding strategy can work effectively.
8. Use of too much jargon.
Use of too much jargon does not benefit branding. Most companies are found guilty of piling on the jargon. If anything, it can only muddle your message.
9. Trying very hard for a different image.
Many companies try to have a different image and it can become a mistake. Being different for the sake of being different is not branding. Though you can grab attention, it will not necessarily help to increase sales.
10. Unsure about when you have got them.
The stage when establishment of the brand has to be stopped has to be understood by the companies for success. You must also supervise the results of your branding campaign. You can spend more time maintaining your professional image if your small business is a local household word.
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