Do you feel like your brand is not resonating with your target audience? Do you constantly question if and when it will happen? You’re not alone. Many companies spend years tweaking their branding to make sure they are reaching the right people but still struggle with making a connection.
In today’s post, we’ll explore 8 mistakes that business owners make with branding and what to do instead. Read on for some insights so you can start creating the best impression possible.
1. Not Having A Strategy
Branding is part of your overall business plan, so you need to think strategically about it. It needs to connect to your “why” and your broader business goals. . What are the reasons you are running your business.
Your brand needs to represent who you are as an entrepreneur: What do we believe? Why does our product or service matter? How will this make life better for others (or ourselves)? If these questions don’t come naturally then take some time out from work – go on vacation, have lunch with friends- whatever helps break up everyday monotony so inspiration flows more freely when thoughts return back home.
Case Study:
Write your mission statement. When I was in the proces of clarifying my “Why” for my current company, I came up with this:
The Cutest Gifts is a business that celebrates life’s important moments with gifts that are personalized and thoughtful. We believe in love, family, friends, and community—and we want to help you celebrate the little things in life. “When you want to say more than I love you…”
Need help crafting your mission statement? Shoot me an email: james@meetjames.com
2. Your Brand Is Not Your Logo
Many businesses make the huge mistake of thinking a brand is a logo or a set of design features. While the consistent design is an important part of branding, what it’s really about is your messaging and the image you’re creating in the minds of your target market. This message tells people how your offerings uniquely benefit them.
A good way to create an effective branding message is by understanding what makes your company different from competitors in the market who have similar products or services; then establish why those differences make them more desirable when choosing between companies with comparable offerings
With The Cutest Gifts (www.cutestgifts.com), my branding goes after customer sentiment in the customized gifts arena with our slogan “When You Want To Say More Than I Love You…”
3. Brand Is Too Generic
Your brand is the difference between you and your competition. A strong, compelling identity makes it easier for customers to identify with what they are buying from you rather than just another company in the market. The key to success lies not only in how well-made a product or service can be but also in who offers something different that their competitors don’t have at all – focus on this distinction when trying out new marketing techniques!
My first branding attempt with my current company landed on Arkansas Handmade. I soon found this was too generic and only when I focused my company messaging did my brand begin to resonate with my customers.
4. Assumptions Instead of Facts
Don’t assume you know your audience. Your brand is what they think it is, not the other way around! Do some research to find out how people see and feel about your company before developing a marketing plan or investing in costly advertising campaigns that may come across as unfocused or unappealing.
Don’t neglect to do thorough market research when building a new branding strategy for yourself–your customers can sometimes have very different opinions of who you are than what’s actually true!
I have more than a dozen ways to research, filter, and hone one’s brand based on market trends, and advanced user data that allows one to craft a more dynamic offering for their customers.
5. Inconsistency and Disconnect
Consistency in branding is important to creating a trustworthy and consistent persona for your company. If you are constantly changing the way that you present yourself, it becomes difficult for customers to form an emotional connection with who they believe your business should be. When one views different parts of your brand and sees uncanny similarities between them, this creates trust because there’s no fear that what will happen next won’t make sense or contradict itself in some manner.
Make sure you keep the same branding through your web presence, emails, shipping notifications, social media, etc.
Your business’s inconsistent branding can create an uneven personality, which will make it even harder to establish the affinity needed for long-term trust. When you deliver consistent branding from one touchpoint to another, that entity starts feeling like a “friend” your customer trusts and understands.
6. Clever But Not Clear
So who is right? The answer is both, though any copywriter worth her salt will tell you clarity trumps cleverness. Create a clear message that resonates with your customers to build trust. A brand can be made or broken in the blink of an eye, especially when it’s not carefully curated and thoughtfully maintained. If you want people to believe in what you do then they need strong communication from all angles, including logo design, website development, and social media branding. This is because if these facets are unclear or muddled for any reason whatsoever – such as poor quality imagery on Instagram posts- then customer advocacy will never happen no matter how stellar the individual product may actually be,.
7. It’s All About You
While you’re talking about your products and services, the real message of your branding should be what using your products does for your customers. Focus on their needs and how their lives will be improved by using your product.
Your brand should be a reflection of the happiness you create in your customers. Whether it is through comfort, self-expression, or creativity, show them how they can live better with your product and make their lives even more fulfilling to keep coming back for more!
Your branding message should focus on what makes people happy about using your products – whether that is through emotional well-being, creative expression, or physical relief from discomfort; let everyone know why they will feel good when choosing yours over another.
8. Forgetting to Update
The needs of your market and the competitive landscape change over time. Your business might also change, offering a new product line or reaching out to a new segment in the market. When this happens, sometimes you need to assess these changes carefully so that they are adequately reflected on your branding strategy accordingly – whether it be with logos, slogans, or taglines.
