9 important principles for success in branding

Many businesses fall into the trap of branding. What do I mean by trap? That is, they design a logo for their company. They set up their own website and social network, sell their products and think they’ve gone through all the steps and that’s it. This is exactly what I mean by telebranding. Why? Because in fact, I must say that these businesses have not tried branding.

The most successful and popular brands in the world are not necessarily the best, but they are always unique. Businesses with successful branding do things differently. They speak with a unique tone, offer a different experience to customers and operate with a unique philosophy.

Most businesses spend as much time, effort, and attention trying to find ways to improve, and even if they do, they don’t see the results they’re hoping for.

In this article, we are going to explain 9 important secrets in successful branding.

What is branding?

Branding is what your business needs to overcome the high number of competitors and attract customer attention. This is what turns first-time buyers into lifelong customers. This is what you need to stand out from the crowd, be influential and take your business one step higher than your competitors.

Your brand is a noun, but branding is a verb. In other words, brand is the image that people have about you. But branding is a set of actions that are taken to cultivate that image.

Why is branding important?

• Branding helps you stand out from your competitors. It doesn’t matter what kind of company you have, what industry you’re in, or what kind of client you’re looking for. Branding helps you define the ways in which you are different, special, and unique, and shows your customers why they should work with you instead of your competition.
• Branding creates brand recognition or brand awareness. If you want to be successful in your branding, in the first stage, people should know you and your business. Proper branding helps you create a distinctive style that makes your brand more recognizable in the market.
• Branding creates a connection with your audience and turns that audience into loyal customers. The most successful businesses are those that foster an emotional connection with their audience. This emotional connection is what turns a prospect into a customer, and a customer into a brand enthusiast. Branding can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and create a sense of loyalty to your brand.

Principles of successful branding

1)      Define your brand.

What is your goal in creating this business? The answer to this question defines your brand’s values, goals, and mission. Having a successful targeted brand creates a strong bond with the target audience. Branding is successful when every part of your business demonstrates your value.

2) Know your audience.

Before you can build your brand, you need to understand your audience. That is, you need to know what your customers and audience care about, what they don’t care about, and how they will benefit from using your product or service.

When you understand your audience, you can ensure that what you sell and the content you create to promote it consistently resonates with them, leading to increased sales and improved customer loyalty.

Tips for knowing the audience:

• Review existing data: To understand your current audience, use Google Analytics to review existing data to gain a deeper understanding of your audience.
• Identifying the persona of the audience: the persona of the audience allows you to understand their wants and needs.
• Conduct surveys: Surveys are great for getting specific answers to questions about how your brand and product and service are performing.

3) Determine the brand vision.

After the branding philosophy is defined, it is time to define a vision statement. A vision statement defines what you want to achieve. To determine the brand vision, you must answer the following questions:

• Where would you like your business to be in the next five to ten years?
• Write a statement based on your business values.
• Write your vision statement in the present tense.
• The tone of the statement should be clear.
• Make sure your statement is easy to understand.

4) Check your competitors.

Learn from your competitors, research them and determine what sets your brand or company apart from them.

To differentiate yourself from your competitors:

• Make a list that includes all the unique features and benefits of your product or service.
• Google your competitors and compare your features and benefits with them, then you can get a clearer picture of how you differentiate yourself from them.
• Think of an emotional need that your product or service will fulfill.
• Look at your products and services from the customer’s point of view and write down everything that comes to your mind.
• Identify aspects of your product or service that your competitors cannot imitate.
• Think of phrases related to your unique product or service, keep them clear and concise.

After completing these steps, you can present your distinction from your competitors in the most attractive way possible in the form of a slogan.

5) Create your brand personality.

If your company was a person, what kind of personality do you think this person would have? Creating a brand personality depends on a true understanding of the buyer’s personality. Creating the right brand persona will help your audience decide if you are the right brand for them. Brand personality should be reflected throughout your communications, from your tone of voice and language to the type of font and color you choose. All these will reflect the value of your brand and ultimately the value of your customers.

6) Design the visual identity of the brand (Brand visual identity).

The impression your audience gets when they see your visual identity often determines how they feel about your brand. Visual identity refers to everything that your target audience sees, including product images, infographics, logos, and website layout and design. Smartly designing these items will help differentiate your brand from the competition and convey a unique message to consumers.

Elements of visual identity:

• Logo: The logo is the anchor of your brand. The logo should blend with your brand’s personality and values.
• Graphics: Graphics should include symbols, animations and any other image designed to promote your brand.
• Typography: Typography is the style and form of text that is used in your brand.
• Color palette: Try to use a specific color scheme to identify your brand to attract the attention of users.
• Imagery: Use images that reflect the personality of your brand.

7) Create your brand strategy.

On average, 543,000 new businesses are established every month. Consequently, without a proper branding strategy, you cannot brand and expect your audience to find you easily. Since every brand wants to reach as large an audience as possible, marketing competition is fierce. Therefore, brand strategy is one of the key principles of branding.

8) Be consistent in your branding.

Consistency breeds trust. Consumers must trust a brand before buying. A survey shows that 81% of consumers must first trust the brand before purchasing a product or service. When your marketing strategy delivers a consistent message across all platforms, consumers will begin to recognize and then trust your brand.

9) Evaluate your brand.

After implementing your brand strategy, you need to review and evaluate it. This step includes a detailed analysis of the overall brand performance, the output of which will show the position of your brand in the market. Try to highlight your strengths and weaknesses and determine whether you are on track to achieve your goals.

Brand evaluation tips:

• Survey your customers about things like their overall experience of choosing your brand. Customers can provide answers that data cannot.
• Monitor your organic or paid channels to make sure you’re SEO and ads are working properly or need further review and study.