Everyone has a bad dating experience. Remember that one time you went out with that person who couldn’t stop talking about themselves? Or maybe they decided you didn’t “look” like someone they’d want to date? Those dates normally don’t end up in any kind of a relationship you’d want. Yeah, been there…done that. We all have. But have you ever realized that your company’s relationship with your customers…your company branding…is a lot like dating? Well it is. And here’s how.
When you are going on your first date with someone, you want to make your best impression. You want to build yourself up to be the best version of yourself that you can be. You want your personality to shine through, and you know what else you want? We want that person we are meeting to think that we are even better than the image they had of us. And you want to make sure that the relationship grows stronger and deeper. Branding is like that.
Brand Managers are Matchmakers
Your brand manager is like the eHarmony of companies. A brand manager will ensure that your brand not only remains consistent, but will also make sure that your brand is matched to the right customer. Looks aren’t everything…personality matters! You want your customers to fall in love with your brand. For that to happen, you have to determine what attracts a specific customer to your brand. Brand managers do that by creating buyer personas.
Keep the Branding Relationship Strong
You just had a date with the perfect partner. Is one date enough? Heck no! You want to continue to see that person. You want to make sure that relationship deepens and grows. Looks may have got you the date, but your personality is what creates the second date. Your brand needs a personality that your customer falls in love with. That’s called Brand Loyalty.
“Brands are like people because people don’t fall in love with businesses; at the end of the day they fall in love with personalities.” — Yo Santosa, founder of LA-based design agency Ferroconcrete.
Brand personality is built through consistency. Know the culture and tone of your business. Understand your core values – why do you do what you do? Know what makes you different from your competition. If you aren’t different from the competition, why are you in business?
When you know your brand personality, don’t stray from it. Your voice, tone, and design should always reinforce your brand. Nothing is worse than finding out the person you are dating is not who you thought they were. Your brand should always look the same, sound the same, and offer the same experience to each customer it comes across. This generates trust, familiarity, and credibility with your customers.
Good Communication is Essential
No relationship can survive bad or limited communication. The same is true for your company’s relationship with your customers. Be present in the relationship. Your content is extrememly important to your brand identity. You wouldn’t want to be in a close intimate relationship with a stranger. Guess what? Neither does your customer! People want to do business with companies they feel a tie to. Better yet, wouldn’t you rather do business with a friend? Make sure your message sounds real and relatable. People want to buy a product that represents them. And they will quickly determine if your product is not for them. That is ok. Be who you are, and your mate is out there! Why do people who are loyal to Target not shop at Walmart? Because they feel that Target better represents them. But do they really? They care mostly the same products. But Target has built brand loyalty.
About Innov8tive Brand Management
Innov8tive Brand Management is a branding and marketing agency that is part of a mission to help 10,000 small businesses double their sales. They provide full branding and marketing services from graphic design and web development to full strategic planning and implementation. Innov8tive Brand Management is a Certified Partner of DigitalMarketer, THE leading voice in the Digital Marketing Industry. They literally wrote the book. Literally. DigitalMarketer also sets the industry standards when it comes to digital marketing training and certifications. With over half a million subscribers in 68 countries across the globe, DigitalMarketer is the premier online community for digital marketing professionals.
Innov8tive Brand Management cares about your business. Your company deserves a brand and message that reflects your personality and appeals to your ideal clients. We can help you with that. If you have questions about how to reach your ideal customers, or if you aren't sure your brand is portraying the right message, reach out to us.
How the world sees you IS our business.
