Most businesses think branding is their logo and a brochure with matching stationery. That’s partially true. But branding is the overall experience from top to bottom within a company. How clients/prospects are treated, how problems are solved, how fast they get a response, how valuable is the company’s product, does it do what it says it will do etc. All of these should leave the prospect or client with a positive feeling. That includes how the companies reach out to their audience.
Businesses need to make sure they are providing useful information when using social media. Just shouting isn’t effective, the WIIFM is vital. People are no longer entertained by just a clever and flashy message, with the tech world advancing every day, we now need to be clever, flashy and relevant. Give them something they can use or share and be rewarded.
With so many possibilities of brand loyalty options, clients and prospects are looking for rewards, which heighten the importance of the overall experience. “If I do this, I’ll get that.” It’s almost necessary to have some form of interactive response/reward.
A brand can’t just sit there and look pretty any more or just be clever. A brand needs to deliver and with so many competitors and new start ups every day, it’s really the overall experience that will keep clients coming back. One misstep and they can find another company with the click of a button.
Everyone at the company needs to buy into the mission and vision and understand that customer service (with options) is a must. That goes from the CEO to the night security guard. They all are part of the brand experience and have an effect on the clients – good or bad.
Author: Karen Pryor – President of Pryor2 Marketing. She is an award winning and creative problem solver with more than 10 years experience of high level project and client management, including initiating, developing and presenting campaigns which help clients reach goals that are essential to the company’s growth.