A simple fact of the modern age is that creating a brand and using it to your advantage in marketing is becoming increasingly difficult with all the competition. But before we get into the “how to” of custom branding, we’ll have to define what a brand is. A brand of your business is much more than a well-designed logo. It is the impression you leave on your audience and the reputation you are recognized for.
Without a mission and vision consistent with the message and experience your clients receive, building a brand image is going to be next to impossible, so make sure you’ve got everything planned out before you start your journey into custom branding.
Get to know your audience
Your success in custom branding is going to largely depend on your ability to effectively recognize what your customers need and offer them a solution to their problems. That’s why getting to know your potential customers and their specific pain points in detail is essential.
Speak with your clients, ask them relevant questions, and hear their stories, as it will help you craft a specific solution for them. Also, the best plan of action is narrowing down your target audience. As tempting as trying to sell to everyone may be, focusing on a target audience is crucial.
Trying to solve everyone’s problems is not only going to prove unsuccessful, but it’s also going to create problems for you, and you’d be wise to remember that a watered-down brand is not a brand at all.
Once you’ve established what exactly is your target market, you can work on offering an enjoyable experience to your prospects and building a reputation for your brand centered around quality, trust, and success. Remember, a satisfied client will remain a client and is more likely to refer you to other potential prospects, so their satisfaction is a top priority.
Offer value in an attractive way
The cornerstone of your brand is your unique value proposition, which is the value you offer your clients that none of your competitors can match.
To better define your unique value proposition, ask yourself questions like “What can I bring to the table that no one else can?”, “What problem does my product solve?” and “Why would someone pick me instead of the competitor?” When it comes to the presentation, tactfulness is key as not only the content of your unique value proposition but the way you communicate it is going to be important as well.
Whether your brand focuses on round sticker printing services or e-commerce, your aim here is to present your offer in a way that is attractive yet not too long. Revealing too much could seem like you’re shouting “pick me!” and can bore the client halfway through the presentation, or revealing too little could seem like you’re holding back some information.
The best approach would be to communicate your solution and the values of your brand in a short and sweet matter, keeping the prospect interested and providing crucial information throughout the customer journey. As we were mentioning in the previous paragraph, the customer’s experience cannot be overestimated.
Avoid the competition
When crafting a brand, successfully communicating the core values in your message is crucial to your success, so make a point of making them unique. Vague values too similar to your competitors can unintentionally lead your prospects to pick them over you.
Keep in mind that not differentiating your brand from the competition can also bring you in legal jeopardy, as there are elements of a brand such as a logo or a name that are under trademark protection. Though this might seem like a limitation, it is in fact an opportunity for your brand to carve out a path for itself and demonstrate uniqueness.
Walking an already-trodden path is easier, but providing inspiration by being mentioned cannot be accomplished that way.
Conclusion
Succeeding at custom branding is a tricky business and you should not approach it lightly, but it offers immense benefits if done right. It also seems that here, originality, authenticity, and brand integrity are the only way to do it.
This is why, once you have authentic value to offer and establish quality relationships with your clients, the brand can practically build itself.
All you have to do is get the word out, and shine a spotlight on your business and if you provide a premium experience, you will also reap premium rewards.
