Successful Branding in 5 Steps

Successful Branding in 5 Steps

The secret recipe for a successful business is to turn the company itself into a brand. If the customer is looking for a certain service or product, this one company should immediately come to mind. But how does a company get there? The magic word is “branding” or branding – and rightly so.

It’s not easy for an entrepreneur: the competition is tough. The market is even tougher. And potential customers know exactly what they want. Whoever treads on the spot here has already lost. Basically, there are only three directions in which a company can develop:

The company relies on the wrong strategy from the outset – and is thus at the end of the road before it even picks up speed.
The company is one of many – there is no bankruptcy, just like there is no great success.

The company breaks with conventional methods and breaks new ground – a new brand is born.

Clearly, path #3 is the one that every entrepreneur should strive for. It’s about breaking new ground, looking at the familiar in a new way, developing it further, and making a name for yourself with new ideas – that’s branding, the creation of a brand. Unfortunately, this is not always so easy, because branding is a lot of work.

3 ways how branding doesn’t work

Admittedly: Walking on paths that others have already followed is comfortable. The ingredients are already there because the competition is showing the way – the question that arises here is “Does the customer really still need a company that does exactly what others have been doing for years?

Why should the customer of all people buy my product? What makes me better? The answer: nothing really. And that’s where the misery begins: The company goes under in the grey mass – so beware of becoming one of the following “entrepreneur types”:

#1: “The Cliche Slingshot”

The customer is clever and immediately recognizes if what you say about your brand is nothing but pure clichés – if everything is only “awesome” and “brilliant”, “innovative” and “unique”, that means nothing at all. The facts decide, no one needs clichés. Also not the customer.

#2: The Copycat

“If company X is successful with what they do, then I can do that too” – unfortunately wrong. Who copies others is not new, not different. And why pay attention to someone who does exactly what others do? Your potential customers aren’t impressed by that.

#3: The “Mama-knows-best-businessman”

Friends or family can be the first point of contact to ask if the idea of an enterprise can bear fruit. But is that enough? Are these opinions really “real”? Would your mother tell you if your idea was absolutely wrong? Mothers, fathers, and good friends are valuable supporters, but they are not suited for market research.

These three entrepreneurs will never manage to build a brand that people care about. Once these stumbling blocks are internalized, the entrepreneur can move on to building the brand – in five steps.

Five steps to brand building

How branding doesn’t work was explained in the first part of this article. If you could find yourself in it, it is not all days yet evening – because there is a small light at the end of the tunnel. There you will find them: Your brand.

To emerge from the darkness, you only need to take a few steps – strictly speaking, five steps that go hand in hand with a very precise analysis of your company, your products, and services, and therefore your brand:

Step 1: Think big!

It all starts with a vision. If you want to build a brand, you have to think in big dimensions. Say goodbye to “baking small rolls” and set the switch to the turbo. Only if you believe in your company will your customers do the same.

Fitting this switch is not always easy. That’s why you should take notes. Write down how you can grow big, bigger, the biggest, and leave your competition behind.

Step 2: Be independent

Small companies have a decisive advantage here: decisions can be made quickly and independently of any committees. A lean decision-making process is important in order to push through innovations faster or at all.

The time that is spent on getting the idea through in one’s own company should rather be spent on convincing customers of this. Ways, which demonstrate at power-robbing committees, are thus completely crucial for the mark formation.

Step 3: Be different

A decisive step, because only those who are different are successful. Think in different directions and above all unconventionally – people love new things. Find niches and write down at least three things that should distinguish you from your competitors. Then branding will also work.

Step 4: Don’t be the “cat video type

Promotion for your brand is crucial. But not every measure is target-oriented – at least not at first glance. Many companies jump at the infamous cat video bandwagon. That brings you many clicks and likes – Congratulations, you are now the company that always posts funny cat videos on Facebook and YouTube. But nobody knows what you actually do.

Write down which promo actions really lead to the establishment of your brand – and delete everything that sounds “funny”, “cute” or “stupid” in your head and has nothing to do with your brand.

Step 5: Be fast and proactive

Thanks to the Internet and social media, news spreads like wildfire. Those who react quickly here can use events to their advantage. For this reason, the brand-building requires the shortest possible reaction time. Those who act proactively are even better positioned, because “predicting” trends makes your company a pioneer and a brand.

Branding is a hot topic when it comes to corporate success. It is not enough to hide behind the big players the company itself must be or become big. The five steps presented introduce brand building and show which strategies lead to success. The path is long but if the branding was successful, there is finally a brand that interests people. And this will be reflected above all in the company’s key figures.

To know more about branding and want to start branding activities for your business then call us on +91-124-4207905 or contact us here. Crux Creative Solutions is the No. 1 branding agency in India that provides world-class branding services for clients.