WOMEN IN BUSINESS>> Why branding is important to every business
brand consultancy, offering several services, including brand strategy, brand audit, brand communication, brand management and visual identity to clients across several sectors. We have worked with a long list of satisfied clients including; Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA), Cross River State, Skye Bank, Sterling Bank, FUG Pensions, to name just a few. We also have an SME division to cater for Nigerian businesses and made in Nigeria products and services.
Is branding the best marketing approach?
Branding is like building a house; you have to start with the end in mind. If you want to build a house, you start with an idea of what you want to build, that way you will know how to go about building it, what materials you will need and so on. So, branding should be the foundation of all your marketing efforts, otherwise you will find yourself dissipating your energy in all directions and getting nowhere.
What is the alternative to branding for small businesses?
If you want to build a profitable, sustainable and strong brand then there is no alternative to branding. The truth is that every business already has a brand whether you like it or not. It’s what people say about you, your reputation in the market. Without a deliberate and conscious branding strategy then what people feel about you may be different from what you want, when they encounter your brand. A brand lives in the customer’s mind, so you need to be deliberate if you really want to stand out and create a profitable brand.
After building a brand, how do you manage and sustain it?
You have to ensure that the brand experience continues to match the expectation people have of your brand. You must keep adjusting your brand experience trying to learn what your customers expect and exceeding those expectations.
Your brand should be consistent even if it seems monotonous to you, because it takes several encounters for the customer to become familiar with your brand. The benefit of the brand must also be reliable and constant; if consumers notice a change in the service or product, they will quit patronizing the product.
Will it be right to say a logo and business name do not have anything to do with branding?
The corporate identity is the area most confused with the brand. Branding has a lot to do with your corporate identity that is the naming, logo, colour, typography, tagline - but there is so much more to branding.
What challenges do brand managers face with clients?
From experience, people do not really understand the term branding and some are unwilling to learn or they are resistant to change.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs on branding?
My main piece of advice would be that you must look at your brand holistically; your brand equals the sum of all the various brand messages at all touch points. Don’t include anything that won’t reflect a consistent brand. When you are clear on what makes you unique, communicate it with clarity, consistency and constancy.