If you've spent even a couple seconds on my website, you'll know that I help companies with branding. It's a vague term at best, because there's so much involved, and because every company needs it to varying degrees and in different ways in order to locate, convince, and retain customers.
I'm definitely starting to hear the word more, amidst the emails I receive and the websites I visit. Sometimes, even on TV commercials. Most of that is because of my particular media habits, of course, but in this post-Steve Jobs world, I think more companies are becoming aware of the power of proper branding.
Moo, a company that makes fabulous business cards, even sent me a link to receive a free "branding kit." Obviously, my design business is probably not their prime target, but shop owners ordering a few hundred business cards might love what's in there. Moo did a darn good job illuminating the concept of branding and why it's needed:
Can you have a business without a brand? Er, yes. You can. The pizza joint down the road is likely a business, not a brand. Your dry cleaners – same story. The local veterinarian? Not exactly challenging Apple on the slick advertising front. All of these examples show that you can operate a successful business without having a real ‘brand’. But, if your business isn’t driven by necessity or pure convenience, chances are you do need a brand.
That’s because you have to give people a reason to choose your business over the competition (or buy nothing at all) and without a strong brand, that’s an exceptionally hard sell. Why? A brand gives a business its unique identity – its look and feel, voice and personality. Think about it - without its brand, Nike is just another shoemaker; Bergdorf Goodman is just another department store.
A strong brand comes from a place of truth about what a business authentically represents, and about what its products means to its customers. It’s not magic, it’s insight.
Part of Moo's own branding is (wisely) going beyond providing cool designs. They use inspirations, blogs, and free marketing kits to show you why they are important. When this strategy works (and it does), it creates a nice feedback loop, creating success for your business and theirs, too.
Part of my own trick is knowing how much (or how little) branding a company needs. Sometimes it's just a new business card. Other times, I have to call in favors from my writer or video-editing friends. And sometimes they call me, to borrow a little bit of what I can do. While most of my work involves the basics – a logo, stationery, or a business card, I also get opportunities to freelance for some big boys in their houses. And it's fascinating to see how they handle their brands, because they usually need it all — logos, web presence, social media, logos, packaging, press releases — and it all needs to work together, to pull in the same direction.
Currently, I am freelancing at a large, nationally-famous retailer. (Yes, I'm helping them re-brand some packaging, among other tasks.) They've even jumped on what I've noticed as a fascinating new trend that's a kind of "reverse marketing": defining themselves through imaginary customers. This is not simply figuring out who their ideal customers are; it's realizing a set of fictional people with realistic lives, hobbies, habits, shopping preferences, and on down to their hairstyles and music playlists. Then, looking at one's own company from their perspective, marketers can more easily focus on those customers and build… loyalty.
For branders, that's the goal. I'm sure "loyalty" is our favorite word.
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