What is Brand Marketing
In definition, brand marketing is a strategy to promote the company products or services in a way that highlights your overall brand. Company incorporates the brand identity and company core values into their products or services to serve as a bridge in communicating with consumers. Very often, brand marketing is a first touch point for the user to understand the company. It is usually the first impression how the public sees your brand, and it is more than merely putting the company logo in as many places as possible. An effective brand marketing can bring benefits to the company in the long run.
Elements in Branding
A strong branding is a combination of tangible and intangible brand elements. Below we will discuss each of these element of branding.
- Brand identity: It basically refers to the mindset when people think of the brand. It can be an image of the logo for the brand; it can be referred to the colour used by brands in their logos; it can be the packaging, the message of the brand that reinforces the company reputation.
- Brand image: The unique idea or logo that represents the company. Brand image maximises the impression of the brand in consumers’ mind.
- Brand positioning: A concept of how the company places themselves in consumers’ mind. It can be the unique benefits of the brand when people think about it. A strong positioning normally comes with high user relevancy that maximises brand value.
- Brand personality: An emotional message or brand characteristic that consumers see or feel and relates to. Some examples of brand personality includes excitement, sincerity, competence or ruggedness.
- Brand experience: A consolidated marketing effort where companies combine multiple channels to create positive consumer experience that exceeds expectation. For instance, existing customers who are satisfied with the good quality product gets excellent after-sales service – both product marketing and customer support elements have provided an overall positive brand experience. A brand that provides positive brand experience usually has a bigger pool of loyal customers.
- Brand differentiation: It is a process taken by companies to ensure their brand stands out from the competition in all aspects.
- Brand extension: It is an idea or action by the company when trying to explore new fields.
Characteristics of an effective brand marketing strategy should align with the company vision and core value. Companies should base on this to identify and determine a target audience, create brand consistency, and in the long run, promote brand loyalty.
Establish a company vision
Company vision is a road map for the company, to indicate which direction the company would like to go. The brand strategy should align with company vision to pass the message they would like to inform consumers via all channels. This calls for a close collaboration for all departments within the company to always align all company and marketing activities to be aligned with the vision.
Define a strategic target audience
A company should identify and segment the target audience effectively to prevent marketing effort waste. Company should consider demographic, age, gender, relationship status, buying behaviour, income and occupation in this process. If a company can target the right audience for their products or services, they can then craft the right message that speaks to or resonates to the audience and therefore, increase conversion rate.
Be consistent
Consistency is important to build trust and to ensure a smooth user journey throughout the marketing funnel. One simple way to ensure brand marketing consistency can be as simple as ensuring the brand assets and design elements are consistent – always follows the same colour and general aesthetic view. Other ways include using the same brand tone throughout all marketing messages, regularly training the team to ensure all employees demonstrate company values in all aspect at work.
Make sure your brand marketing follows through in even real life
Yes, branding is important to build awareness and create loyalty. However, it is always built on a base where the company product and service should align with its marketing strategy. A company marketing strategy is like a promise from the company to its customers. Consumers follow through marketing messages from the brand, and expect to get the brand and product experience promised in those messages. It is vital for companies to ‘practise what they preach’ in marketing messages and brand promise to gain trust among consumers.
It is important to know by having the right brand marketing, consumers will recognise and have trust in the brand. Get in touch with us for your brand marketing needs today!