CREATIVE THINKING
Why keeping your brand fresh is so important
Most people know you can’ t stand still in business. Just look at BHS as a not-so-good example. So it stands to reason that your brand needs to keep pace too.
Branding should be the embodiment of what you stand for as a company. For customers new to your brand, it should sum up what you are about and what’ s in it for them. For your existing customers, it should reinforce this. And as your business and target audience changes, develops and grows, so should your brand.
A good brand can help differentiate you from your competitors but it’ s not just about your logo – it’ s the full customer experience.
That is, any point in which a customer comes into contact with your brand whether that be via your website, an advert, vehicle graphics, direct staff interaction or something other. A joined up approach will help ensure each and every one of these touch points is a positive one.
Take Macdonald’ s for instance. Whether you like them or not, you know what they stand for – from the golden arches to the TV ads to the furniture in their restaurants. And even they have evolved over time from being known for cheap fast food to selling cheap fast food that’ s trying to be healthier and locally sourced( think 100 % British beef in UK outfits).
Changes don’ t necessarily need to be made overnight of course. But creating a brand based on a solid understanding of your target audience and their needs will give you a good starting point to build on. Then keeping a beady eye on your brand and evolving it in line with your business strategy will help keep it fresh and your business out in front.
Juicy Designs is a creative agency based in Swindon and south Oxfordshire.
For more info: www. juicy-designs. com
" Design is the silent ambassador of your brand."
Paul Rand( 1914-1996)
Wood McKeever Agency answer the question ' What ' s in a brand?'
Brand. A word so commonly used in marketing but so often misunderstood.
There have been numerous books and articles written on the subject of brand but the best description is probably the simplest, a brand is just the delivery of a promise. So the first question any business has to answer is“ what are you promising to deliver?” A product, a service, an experience?
So, how do you create a brand? Once you have that promise in mind, you then need to create a consumer experience that embodies that promise, from start to finish where the entire journey taken by the consumer must reflect the authentic attributes of the brand. This may start and finish with a website but may also include an interaction with a call centre or a shop. Whatever happens, the experience must be the same.
This seamless continuity will only be achieved if the culture of the company is genuinely aligned with the brand, only then will the business be committed to ensuring every interaction creates an advocate for the brand not an assassin. In 2016, a brand will only have a few seconds to imprint the image they want in the mind of the consumer, we live in a time when people skip through adverts and move on rapidly if they feel their time is being wasted. Cost, for many consumers, is now measured in time spent as much as it is in money spent.
The perfect brand interaction for many people is frictionless, see, decide, pay, and leave. A brand that delivers this will thrive. If you feel your own brand strategy would benefit from a review speak to the friendly team at WMC Agency on 01666 822223, email team @ wmcagency. com or take a look at www. wmcagency. com
Top tips for social media branding from Tain Brae
The world of social media marketing is increasingly visual. So, how can a business adapt to leverage an increasingly visual social world?
David Bolton from Corsham-based inbound digital marketing agency Tain Brae Digital provides some practical tips for social media branding.
1. Claim your social media brand. Try to reserve your brand name on all social networks you are currently using or you think you might need in the future. Ideally, you would have the same username on every social media network. If this is not possible, then decide on a standard variation to use in the case that your first choice has gone.
2. Ensure all your social media profiles are consistent. The number one mistake companies make when branding their businesses on various social media channels is being inconsistent. Keeping a consistent profile helps others find you quickly, and it helps cement a picture of your brand in the minds of others and what your business does.
3. Do not forget your profile section. Your profile section is vital in the process of building your brand for any business. Treat your profile like an elevator pitch. If you had to describe what your business does in one or two sentences at the most, what would it be?
4. Create social media templates for your posts. Do you have a template for your social media posts? Is your logo positioned the same way each time it ' s used? Coming up with a social media style guide will help make sure all the elements of your brand work together.
Finally, don’ t give up. If you are already doing all of these and still aren ' t seeing the results, you’ d like, contact us at Tain Bare Digital to see how we can help you. www. tainbraedigital. co. uk
18 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2016