Is Your Brand Reinforcing Your Expertise?
When you build a company, it's not only important to focus on what you do (and do it well). You should also hone the image you create for the public— including your values, your intended audience, and your general vibe. In order to do that, you must work to create a distinctive brand. Branding communicates to the public the overall set of qualities and characteristics that you hold important and, in turn, speaks to who should want to buy from you.
Why Focus on Building a Brand
An authentic, credible brand reinforces your marketing messages and content. Branding can help an organization look professional and polished, which will increase your reputation of trustworthiness. A strong, recognizable brand can also help a company cement itself as a standout or go-to within a particular niche, which eliminates competition and positions you as experts.
Over the past few years, trends have shifted so that buyers are placing more emphasis on brand. A study by branding experts Cohen and Wolf showed that the public is now valuing authenticity and honesty from a brand overall.
This means that if companies can communicate who they are and what they do clearly, then speak to the right audience, they can reach (and, perhaps convert) more of their potential customers. Furthermore, they can establish a loyal customer base if they’re able to continue to do that over the long term.
Building a strong brand also builds equity in the long term. Shopify’s Business Encyclopedia defines brand equity, saying, “Brand equity is a marketing term that describes a brand’s value. That value is determined by consumer perception of and experiences with the brand. If people think highly of a brand, it has positive brand equity. When a brand consistently under-delivers and disappoints to the point where people recommend that others avoid it, it has negative brand equity.” This can set you up for success down the line.
C42D has a strong belief that all companies should be brand-oriented, not just B2C companies that appeal directly to an audience of consumers.
In general, B2B marketing firms to be less brand-oriented than those for consumers and, in turn, do not create an unforgettable impression that draws in B2B customers for multiple visits (although this is changing). Instead, many copycat firms like to look at what other companies in a niche are doing, then create a similar brand or aesthetic.
This is ineffective, especially for a company that does not have any authentic expertise. When a marketing firm uses similar marketing products to push multiple companies in the same industry, it can be futile for all companies involved.
At C42D, we’re not interested in inauthentic marketing tactics. By advocating clear, differentiated positioning and pinpointing a company’s value proposition, we can bring together the powerful triad of brand, positioning, and value for our clients — and help them grow.
Our focus on branding is what ensures that the firms who hire us aren’t just another company in the mix. They’re the ones who are sought after and talked about, for years to come.
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