According to Jerry McLaughlin, "a brand is the perception someone holds in their head about you, a product, a service, an organization, a cause, or an idea. Brand building is the deliberate and skillful application of effort to create a desired perception in someone else's mind".
Having put a full and relevant explanation of
what a brand is; let's now do more digging and explore the common
characteristics of successful brands, so you can build your brand accordingly.
1) Audience knowledge.
The best brands out there have a thorough
understanding of the demographics of their target market, what their interests
are, and how they communicate. Most businesses have a specific target audience
they're pursuing.
Understanding the target market is critical
because it provides direction for the tone and reach of a marketing campaign,
along with the overall identity of a brand, while helping to create
an organic, human connection between a business and its audience.
Trying to appeal to everyone in the market has
proven to be counterproductive, causing a company's brand to become diluted.
Finding the right branding approach requires first understanding the target
market.
2) Uniqueness.
Establishing a brand identity requires something
distinctive. Apple, for instance, has become known worldwide for their
innovative products and minimalistic, aesthetic appeal. When it comes to
service companies, Domino's Pizza used to guarantee that their pizza would
arrive in 30 minutes; otherwise it'd be free. In terms of a selling point, TOMS
shoes donates a free pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes that
are bought.
Creating an identity within a niche isn't a
revolutionary strategy. It simply needs to have one special thing that
separates it from the competition. Once a company figures out what that is, it
can concentrate on it and should gain recognition in time. Do you know what
your unique product, service, or selling point is within your niche? If not,
start there when building your branding strategy.
3) Passion.
While it's certainly possible to build a brand
in the short-term without passion, yet it's almost impossible to sustain it in
the long run. When you examine massively successful people like Steve Jobs,
they all have a serious passion that keeps propelling them to work hard and
continually deliver greatness. That passion leads to enthusiasm and genuine
joy, which is highly infectious.
Consumers often become just as enthusiastic
about a product or service, leading to word of mouth advertising and referrals.
Passion also helps businesses persevere through inevitable setbacks.
4) Consistency.
When consumers come back to a business for
repeat sales, they usually expect to receive the same level of quality as they
did the first time. Restaurants and their food and service quality are a great
example of this.
No one wants to deal with a company they can't
rely on for consistency. With so many industries being saturated with
competitors, inconsistency is often enough of a reason for consumers to take
their business elsewhere.
That's why most brand experts insist that
business should adhere to a certain quality standard with a product or service.
An example of a brand who offers amazing consistency is McDonald's. This
powerhouse of the fast food world provides patrons with a menu that's consistent
across the world. Whether someone orders in Florida or China, they know that a
Big Mac is going to taste the same.
5) Competitiveness.
Gaining an edge in today's business world isn't an
easy process. For a brand to make a name for itself and gain a share in the
market, team members should thrive on competition and constantly strive to
improve. This is the main principle behind Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll's
book, Win Forever, as well as the way he runs the team.
When it comes to the major players in any
industry, none simply sit back and hope that their consumers will do the work
for them. Instead, they tend to be the movers and shakers who work tirelessly
toward building and optimizing their brand, going above and beyond consumer
expectations. The end result tends to be a brand that is continually on the
cutting edge of its industry.
6) Exposure.
Another big part of being recognized as a
distinctive, successful brand is the ability to reach consumers via multiple
channels. Obviously, larger companies have an advantage gaining exposure
because they usually have a bigger marketing budget and more existing
connections. They can pay for television commercials, be featured in
globally-recognized magazines, and rank highly in search engine results pages.
However, the Internet and social media have
narrowed the gap between small companies and large ones. There are more tools
than ever before which offer any company a chance at establishing their brand.
By developing a presence on networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and
Google+, anyone is able to reach almost any consumer. You just have to know the
how and that's the hard part. Here are some resources I recommend for help with
that component:
- The Definitive Guide to Marketing Your Business Online.
- How to Build a Kickass Content Marketing Strategy.
- How to Get Big-Brand Search Visibility for Your Small Business.
- The Three Pillars of SEO in 2013: Content, Links, and Social Media.
- What is Social Media Marketing, and How can it Help My Business?
7) Leadership.
Just like any thriving community or sports team, there must be an influential leader behind every successful brand. For large companies, this may be the CEO. For smaller ones, it's usually the owner.
To coordinate the efforts of team members and
guide a strategic vision for a brand, someone has to step up and steer the
ship. The leader resolves complications and acts as a liaison between different
departments to keep everyone on the same page. They are also expert motivators
and know how to maximize the strengths of different team members.
Conclusion
Successful brands share these seven common characteristics. How does
your brand measure up? Did I miss any characteristics? Let me know in the
comments below.
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