Companies talk to their customers every day through branding. And that's why it's important to know what your brand is saying.
Your brand's direct line to customers also means it should be updated as needed. "A stagnant brand is not a successful brand," said Jeaneen Andrews-Feldman, chief marketing officer of advertising firm Simpli.fi.
Effective branding is vital for companies to meet their customers where their needs are currently. But keeping the brand's message fresh is part of staying in customers' minds as times change, she adds.
Attack Ambiguity For Effective Branding
When Hewlett Packard Enterprise split from HP to form a new company, it needed to differentiate itself from its famous parent's brand. The trouble was: HP was an iconic household name.
"We attacked ambiguity with stronger and more consistent messaging," said Jennifer Temple, chief communications officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Building the brand took effort. Hewlett Packard Enterprise made its CEO available to the press and customers. And the company urged in-house experts to share articles and white papers, she adds. "We also expanded influencer engagement and endorsements," Temple said.
Convey That You Are Authentic For Effective Branding
When tweaking your brand's message, an adage applies: Don't try to be something you're not, Andrews-Feldman said. If you do, your customers will see right through it.
"Too often, we look to competitors and model what they're doing, especially if they are seeing success," she said. "But it's better to reflect on what your own strengths are."
Ask yourself "What does your company do better than anyone else?" Highlight what makes you different. Stand out and get noticed, but do so in a way that fits your brand. "Develop a vision and category that sets you apart," she said.
Humanize Your Brand
The goal, Andrews-Feldman says, is helping your customers view themselves as part of your brand.
Inspire your customers to go on your business journey with you, she adds. No matter how you bring your brand to life, "use it as an opportunity to pull the customer into the scene and evoke emotion so that the customer can see what can be done together," Andrews-Feldman said.
The key to branding is knowing a company is only as successful as its customers. "Putting (customers) front and center is the best way to connect them to the brand," Andrews-Feldman said.
Utilize data to uncover new areas for innovation and improve your customer's experience, says Jacqueline Woods, chief marketing officer at Teradata, a cloud data analytics company. "Brands that make their customers the star will be rewarded," she said.
Educate Employees For Branding Or Rebranding Buy-Ins
When Achieve, a digital personal finance company, rebranded, it began with a massive internal effort, says Erica Bigley. She is Achieve's vice president of corporate communications.
Achieve, formally Freedom Financial Network, developed a one-hour training deck to explain to employees why they were rebranding.
"On the day when we officially became Achieve, we had 3,000 employees who knew the message, were ready to share the brand and who were genuinely excited about the path forward," Bigley said.
Understand When To Rebrand
You'll know it's time for a rebrand when your customers no longer resonate with who you now are, Andrews-Feldman says.
Branding helps the consumer connect with a company while also allowing the company to stand out from competition, she says. "Consumers want to feel that the companies that they do business with represent who they are, share their values or at least sell a product that they believe in," she said.
There is also greater competition than in the past across all industries, so it is important to stand apart and differentiate yourself in your industry. "When a company cannot show that value to its consumers and when the branding no longer tells the story of who you are, that is when a rebrand is necessary," Andrews-Feldman said.
Stay Persistent With Branding
Branding isn't a one-time thing, though. It's up to you to constantly monitor what customers think your brand is telling them.
To stay on top of branding, ask customers what your brand means to them, Temple says. Then figure out how to update that message if needed. The bottom line is this: Your brand should scream what the world would lose if your company didn't exist.
