Many of our clients have come to us wanting to begin a video marketing strategy and I always start the concept by discussing their brand identity. This is when a lot of small business owners look confused and say something along the lines of, “I’m not (blank) enough for branding yet.” or others will attempt to explain, but are unable to actual express in words what their brand is. Other, still, will eagerly show me their logo and their brand colors, but when I ask for more details, haven’t gotten any further.
So…. branding is JUST AS IMPORTANT (if not more important) for a small business than for a big one. You don’t have be successful, have a ton of clients (or really any), make a bunch of money or have a bunch of employees. Branding should be strategic, calculated and implemented right from the beginning.
What is Branding
Branding is so much more than just a logo and a color palette - it’s your brand’s identity and reputation.
Think of bottled water and imagine the many different brands available and what you feel about the many choices available to you. In the end, it’s all just expensive water. But, the company’s branding creates a sort of attachment and pull toward that very expensive water.
Branding is made up of (yes) your logo and your color palette, but it is also your website, your office space or retail location, your customers and ideal clients are part of your brand, your values, your purpose and your mission!
So there is so much that goes into it and it’s not something that just develops on it’s own. Branding takes hard work!
So, what if i don’t have any branding?
First things first it to create a brand strategy.
Brand Strategy
Take some time to figure out how you are different from your competitors, why your clients should trust you, define your target audience and explain your mission.
From there, create a flow chart for your branding strategy. You want your customers to not only be aware that you exist, but you also want them to trust you, to feel loyal to you and to tell others all about you!
Recognition/awareness -> Trust -> Allegiance -> Referral
Map out how you will move your target audience from recognition all the way through to the referral stage. This doesn’t need to be exact and tangible just yet, broad ideas are fine! :)
[For example, recognition/awareness is created through my logo and brand colors as well as through SEO, PPC and Social media engagement. Trust will be developed by positioning my company as a resource for knowledge about the products and how to use them. Allegiance will come from a strong product that exceeds expectations. My relationships with my clients both during and after our work is complete will lead to referrals.]
A good brand strategy utilizes your message, your audience, your voice and your story to strategize exactly how to lead your clients through the flow chart. To get yourself started, make sure you are 100% able to answer and are CONFIDENT in the following questions:
Who is your ideal client?
Are you more expensive, similarly priced or less expensive than your competitors?
Do you have a niche focus or is it less specific?
Will your customers get to know you on a personal level?
How much are you (the business owner) a part of your brand?
Why would your customers invest in you and your product?
While a consumer experiences your product or service, how do they feel about it?
After a consumer experiences your product or service, how do the feel about it?
How are you different than your competitors?
What is your story?
What is your mission?
Whew! That’s a lot of work!!! But, without creating a brand strategy, how will you be able to design anything?
Brand Design
This is the fun part! Design your logo, your colors, your website, fonts, packaging, etc. all based on the brand strategy you just implemented. I absolutely recommend you hire a professional for this step, but a good starting point to give you an idea is to explore color palettes on google and imagine for a minute how each color palette makes you feel.
Brand Marketing
This is when you actually get to target the first part of your flow chart you created in your brand strategy - creating brand awareness.
There are so many different forms of marketing you can utilize, SEO, PPC, user experience, Social Media, E-mail campaigns, etc! But, it’s probably a good idea to do an assortment of all of these. Use your brand strategy to lead your marketing campaigns.
This is also where we come in. Emerald Fox specializes in video marketing specifically and understands the importance of your message being on-brand and a true reflection of you! We will help you implement a video strategy that compliments your brand strategy to best position you and your brand for a successful future.
Why is Branding so important?
Good branding attracts your target market specifically.
Your customers will trust you.
You will stand out from your competitors, who may not have invested time/money into a brand strategy.
You will be able to charge more for your product/service for the same quality of work.
You will have a better understanding of what you are offering, so that you can better explain it in a way that a consumer will understand.
Branding places you in a leadership position in your industry.