Marketing Guide – Your Brand

Following on from our blog ‘What is Marketing‘ we bring you a marketing guide to your brand.

Your brand should drive, align, and guide everything you do in your business. It encompasses why your business exists, your personality, uniqueness, culture, and the promise that you market to your customers.

Your logo is a key part of your brand and is your business’s identity in its simplest form, so don’t scrimp on the design; it’s an investment, not a cost. However, your brand is more than just your logo. A good designer will take a holistic approach to developing your logo and wider brand messaging, including tone of voice and how you articulate your value proposition.

A strong brand gives your customers and prospects a great first impression, distinguishes you from your competitors, helps customers connect emotively, and encourages customer loyalty. It also reduces the influence price has on customers’ decision-making.

Six steps to build a strong brand:

1. Identify your target market, including their age, gender, location, profession, social preferences, pain points, income, etc.
2. Conduct a thorough review of your competitors by identifying all competitors, analysing their online present, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas to leverage to differentiate your offering and stand out from the crowd.
3. Define your story by articulating your purpose, vision, values, the problem your product or service solves, why your target market needs your offering, and the best thing about each product or service.
4. Articulate your brand strategy, share it with the team, create brand guidelines, and ensure every message, campaign, and interaction aligns with your brand.
5. Delight your customers to build long-term relationships and strengthen emotional connections to your brand.
6. Reward your advocates with incentives for referring new customers.

Your digital voice

Speaking in a consistent tone of voice across your marketing will strengthen your brand. By defining your digital voice, each team member will consistently reflect your business’s personality, reinforce your brand, and attract leads and customers.

Four things to consider when defining your digital voice:

1. Character. The human characteristics that should be attributed to your brand’s voice.
2. Purpose. A point of view which delivers genuine value to customers.
3. Language. The words, phrases, and terms your brand uses to describe your purpose or products.
4. Tone. The order, rhythm, and pace of your copy.

Small businesses often don’t have the resources or the need for an in-house marketing manager. You must, however, have one person responsible for marketing and ensure that whoever is wearing this ‘hat’ doesn’t neglect it. Consider engaging with an external marketing assistant to free up your team’s time.

If you need help developing your Marketing Plan or determining your target market, we can help you do this. Marketing ensures your sales pipeline stays full and that your customers are happy, engaged, and advocating for your business.

“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.” – Tom Fishburne