No.6 ESTABLISHING. How to launch a new brand or refresh an existing one

Transcription

1 No.6 ESTABLISHING How to launch a new brand or refresh an existing one

2 ! SO YOU RE READY TO MAKE YOUR MARK A polished brand that s supported by sound marketing strategy is no longer a luxury. Nor is it the sole domain of mega-corporations. You only get one chance to make a great first impression and a brand is the first impression a customer gets of your business, products or services. So much is conveyed to consumers through the choice of language, imagery, colours and fonts in your branding. Send the wrong messages and you re doomed to fail. In this book, Viabrand s branding and marketing strategy experts have revealed some of their top tips for finding clarity as you re planning to launch a brand, or refresh an existing one. Whether you re a start-up, a business in need of a brand refresh, or you want to brand your new product or service, the processes in this book provide a systematic approach to developing a plan of attack.

3 01 WHAT IS BRANDING? Before you begin your process, it s important to know the difference between branding and marketing. Take a moment to imagine your brand as a person. If it were a human being, would it be male or female, how old, what personality traits, what s colours and style would it wear, how s it presented? Is your brand the cool young guy with a rebellious attitude? The conservative business-suited career woman on an upward trajectory? A no-nonsense mum? The down to earth Aussie with a cheeky sense of humour? This is one way to start to build a picture of your brand s defining characteristics. Great branding is the creative expression of your business, product or service s characteristics, personality and values. Imagery, colours, fonts and brand personality keywords are some of the elements used to define a brand.

4 02 WHAT IS MARKETING? Marketing is the methods used to convey the brand message to consumers. Marketing consists of Above the Line (ATL) efforts like internet, outdoor, radio, TV or print ads. Below the Line marketing consists of items like direct mail, catalogues or coupons. It s vital your marketing is consistent with the branding. Why? Imagine your brand is the cool young guy with a rebellious attitude; black jeans and t-shirt, visible tattoos, sunglasses on, punk hair, maybe a piercing or three. He approaches you at an event and tries to convince you he s an excellent babysitter. Would you be convinced? If he came up and told you he was a skilled tattoo artist or a musician, you might be more convinced he was telling the truth. That s what it s like when a marketing message matches the branding.

5 03 DEFINING YOUR BRAND The best way to begin the branding process is to define your brand. This will help you find clarity and influence sound strategic decisions. Answer the following questions and you ll soon be able to clearly picture the kind of brand you re creating. Q1 Why are you starting this business, offering this product or service? Q2 What are people going to love about your business, product or service? Q3 How do you plan to operate the business (e.g. service with a smile, always innovating, industry disruptors etc.)? Q4 If your brand was a person, what would their personality be like? Q5 What would your brand look like and dress like if it were a person (colours, patterns, styles)? Q6 What is the business, product or service offering? Pro Tip! When answering question one, go beyond simply to make money and look at the real motivating factors. Are you trying to fix a problem, help people feel good, make the world better...? This is going to be the basis of the most important message your brand sends in all its marketing communications.

6 04 PURPOSEFUL, MEMORABLE AND SHARABLE Purposefully consistent Everything you do should have a clear purpose; brand name, tone of voice, the way your brand looks and the customer experience. Branding decisions need to be consistent and align with your brand definition answers (p5). Clearly and consistently communicating your brand personality will entice the perfect consumers to want to experience what your business has to offer. Be memorable When creating your brand, be unique and make something that s going to stick in people s heads. It s not only illegal but also impractical to copy another brand s intellectual property. Copying other brands erodes consumer trust. In today s media-saturated landscape, your brand needs to stand out as unique and authentic in order to cut through and attract customers. Be shareable If your brand connects with people in a meaningful way, they ll want to share their experience with people they know. Create brand experiences people want to interact with and talk about. Make products that are so beautiful people want to photograph them for social media. Offer brand experiences so meaningful consumers want to associate with your brand. Pro Tip Knowledge of the marketplace (competitors, challenges, opportunities, consumers etc.) can guide you to find a position not yet occupied by the competition and identify clever strategy for cutting through and being memorable. Once you ve done so, you can develop an elevator pitch and clear brand story to market your brand to people in a meaningful, memorable and sharable fashion.!

7 05 CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY No matter what size your business, a clear framework for consistency is vital for your brand to flourish. Brand awareness can only be built when all marketing efforts include your brand colours, logos, personality, imagery style and language. Inconsistent communications erode trust, memorability and recall. 3 essential tools for brand consistency Brand style guide including colours, fonts, images, icons, logos, design styles and standards. Brand strategy including name, promise, keyword personality and language. Staff guidelines such as training, policy and procedures manuals outlining standards of service delivery. Having clear brand procedures in place will guide your internal decisions and actions, but also serve to inform external stakeholders. When you re ready to have stationery, signage, point of sale, shop fit outs, websites or marketing materials made, you can present your style guide and strategy to external suppliers to ensure you maintain brand consistency.! Pro Tip As your brand grows and evolves, so too should your marketing. It s a good rule of thumb to freshen up your brand every three to five years to keep it looking current, to address new challenges and opportunities and to aid your business evolution.

8 Are You Ready to Establish Your Brand? Did you find this book useful? You ll find more free tips and advice from the team at Viabrand on our blog Move your brand Establishing a new brand that s going to connect with the right target market takes time, insight and experience. Viabrand combines strategic thinking with creativity to produce unique, memorable brands for startups and established businesses. If you re launching or rebranding a business, product or service, get in touch with the branding and marketing experts at Viabrand. Get in touch Say hello on sayhello@viabrand.com.au or call us on (07) Studio Suite T56, 477 Boundary Street, Spring Hill, QLD Copyright Viabrand Pty Ltd, 2018