Firstly, understanding the term “branding” is significant! So, in simple words, branding is a marketing practice where a strong, positive perception about the product/service is created in the minds of the clients with the thought of defining the entire brand. This is definitely a difficult task initially as defining your agenda & what inspired you to start the venture tells a story of its own.
Today you can learn a couple of things which one must avoid (as a marketer), as no wonder, the following could turn out to be huge mistakes for your brand!
1) No Research
Several times, when there is less or no research involved, the brand suffers. Remember branding is that marketing practice that should be the priority at first. Understand market trends, what’s in demand & what the audience generally is searching for. Surveys could aid as an effective tool to help you know what the dos & don’ts can be while fashioning an article/item.
2) Confusing the Logo & Brand
The logo & the brand’s identity both should go hand in hand. As much as the logo is the first impression of the brand, the brand & the products are far more important! The logo shouldn’t be hidden neither the logo should be solely the center of attention that the products don’t remain the main attraction.
3) Understand Your Target Audience
Though you can incorporate your personal opinions & likings, it would be astute to base your brand on a thoughtful strategy that focuses on competitive advantage, target audience & what they expect of you. Your very potential customers are the ones who will either cheer you up or boo you off stage, so in whatever manner you speak to your dear audience that is what determines how they’ll react to your new collection. Hence it’s supremely important that you say the right thing (slogans/or via ads), in the right way & at the right moment!
4) Inconsistency
One thing that can tarnish the brand’s image is not being regular. Inconsistency can lead to numerous dilemmas. The approach is applicable everywhere from updating your website from the back end to being active on the social media handles because inconsistency showcases a late back, casual approach which won’t be acceptable by the masses for long.
5) No Business Plan
Frequently, when start-ups begin their business journey, the goals & business plan are not accurately defined! Very soon complications arise – whether it’s in the accounts department, quality control, or even how the social media should be used! Being organized about each & every step means you’d know when to put posts on social media, with what captions, what filters & color scheme to carry forward with! Because when too much is going on, it rather seems to head forward with no theme & no idea in mind. In turn, it affects the logo & the aesthetics majorly!
6) Cheap Routes
Often, when people with zero experience commence on with their new venture, they show traits of a miser by opting for cheap alternative routes. This could be evident from bad quality raw material being used to pathetic packaging to no photoshoots; instead, some use images copying them from various search engines. Here, things can horribly go wrong if there’s no standard set & when cutting corners matter.
7) Aging Signs
Any big store with a tacky, rusty signboard could cast a bad impression on the clients. Not just the impression it tells a lot about the caretakers of the brand that if a signboard with fallen letters couldn’t be fixed then how much does the brand really care about the product’s quality? Additionally, as much as these things seem to be on the side, they really do raise the eyebrows of the public. You don’t want your brand to become the next trending meme on the internet, having a funny missing alphabet on its signboard?
8) Stretching Your Brand without Thinking!
Sometimes in hopes of expanding business & tripling profits, managing directors & the CEO’s dreams of extension only become one of the crispiest subjects in brand management.
Albeit to the fact that many reputable companies have learned the hard way of trial & error that stretched brand extensions can easily ruin the entire brand’s position in the target market.
9) Poor Brand Experience
As much as the Designs of the logo & the designs of items you create matter, an unforgettable great brand experience can surely create ripples. Even if you don’t own a store & just a website, for now, make sure the website is captivating, inviting, the chat support is helpful & even if any client is repeatedly asking the same question – the admin maintains nothing short of a friendly tone.
