Launching & Building a Brand For Dummies. Amy WillЧитать онлайн книгу.
purpose, answer the question “Why is my brand here?” When you define your brand’s purpose, you don’t need to be concerned too much about the competition; you just need to be sure that everything you do aligns with that purpose.
Recognizing Different Brand Types
One of the first choices you make when you decide to build and launch a brand is what to brand — your business, a specific product or service, or yourself. In this section, I describe the brand types you can build and explain how branding differs for each one.
Business or corporate brand
Small businesses to large corporations often brand themselves to
Differentiate themselves from competitors
Increase recognition among customers and clients, investors, suppliers, potential partners or associates, and other stakeholders
Build a strong positive reputation
Attract high-quality job applicants
Facilitate the introduction of new products
Generate press coverage
Charge a premium for offering something different and better
Increase the market value of the business
The focus of corporate branding is mostly on mission, values, relationships, and the business’s culture. Regardless of the size of the business, the goal is to position itself as a respected and valued member of the community — the industry or market in which it operates and the world overall.
Product brand
A product is anything that’s manufactured for sale to consumers. A product brand is the distinct value of a specific product in the minds of consumers; the product is different from and better in some way than something else the consumer could spend money on. The purpose of branding a product is to
Differentiate it from competing products
Make it easily recognizable
Increase loyalty among consumers
Compel consumers to pay more for the product
The focus of product branding is differentiation — making the product stand out in the marketplace. You build a product brand through product development, packaging, and messaging — everything that contributes to the consumer’s perception of the product.
Service brand
A service involves doing something for someone, so how can you possibly brand a service? Usually, you brand the service provider — the business or person providing the service. The purposes of creating a service are very similar to those for creating a business or personal brand:
Differentiating the service and service provider from competing services
Building credibility (demonstrating that the service provider is qualified)
Building trust (showing that the service provider is reputable and reliable)
Charging a premium for superior service
With a service brand, your efforts focus mostly on the following credibility- and trust-building activities:
Earning certifications, awards, and other credentials and then getting them in front of customers, such as posting them on your website and mentioning them in brochures
Presenting content that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise, such as articles, blog posts, social media posts, photos, videos, podcasts, and white papers
Engaging with customers and prospects to answer questions and solve problems to further demonstrate your knowledge and expertise
Soliciting and posting testimonials or positive reviews from satisfied customers
Getting positive reviews from journalists, business organizations, and other trusted sources
Personal brand
A personal brand is one that develops around a person. You already have a personal brand: your reputation. People may know you as a sharp-dressing, punctual overachiever; a careless, fun-loving creative; a devoted parent and respected member of the community; or something else entirely. In a career or business, people develop personal brands to
Increase demand for a product or service they provide
Further their career
Expand their opportunities
Build credibility and trust
Establish themselves as thought leaders
With a personal brand, your efforts focus mostly on the following activities:
Discovering who you really are and finding your most attractive (and in-demand) traits, knowledge, and skills
Expressing, in a genuine way, who you are, what you do, and what makes you so special Fake it till you make it doesn’t work; people will eventually see past the façade.
Being your best you — you are your business and your product, so you need to embrace learning and self-improvement
Building a strong portfolio, which may involve earning credentials, developing or gathering samples of your work, or soliciting customer testimonials or reviews — anything that demonstrates success in your field
Attending or speaking at industry events and other opportunities to get your name and face in front of people
Presenting content that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise — articles, blog posts, social media posts, photos, videos, podcasts, white papers, and so on
Engaging with customers and prospects to answer questions and solve problems to further demonstrate your knowledge and expertise
Other brand types