How to turn your company's name into a brandBy Ray Taylor |
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More nonsense is talked about brand building in business than most other subjects. It is one of the great intangibles - expensive to create, difficult to measure and impossible to manage. Some say businesses can spend their way to a brand, with lots of pricey TV advertising. If this is true, why can I watch some television ads dozens of times, and still not know what they are selling? The ads may be stylish, lavish, artistic, cultured, a pleasure to watch, but I end up knowing nothing about the product or service on offer. Establishing a brand is not about advertising. It's about winning trust. People don't shop at Tesco because they have seen the ads. They shop there because they have shopped there before and there is something that draws them back. They have learnt to trust, to a greater or lesser degree, the Tesco brand. What advertising does is to help win new customers, and to remind existing customers of the benefits of returning. But without the strength of the brand, built up over many years, any Tesco ads would be meaningless. If you want to build awareness of a new brand, start by getting the product or service right. There is no point advertising bad service. Don't spend a penny on promotion until you have proved your product, and your customers rave about you. Consider investing in a professional designer to create some kind of image that will give your business identity a unique look that people will remember. This can be done for a few hundred pounds. But don't let them get carried away. A simple graphic representation of the company name will normally work. Once you have the name, the image, and the service, the rest is easy. You just have to get it out into your market. Advertising can be costly and does not guarantee results. If you do decide to spend money on advertising, make sure you choose appropriate media. Local services should be advertised locally, using local press and good old Yellow Pages. The web can be a cost-effective way to promote brand but, again, don't let the designers get carried away. Keep your ads simple and to the point. If you are likely to spend more than a few thousand pounds on advertising, consider appointing an agency, but talk to several before you choose. Remember, brand awareness is just the sum total of everything your customers know and feel about you. Advertising can help, but there is no point advertising something that does not yet exist. email: info@raytaylor.net
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Author Ray Taylor ran an advertising agency - eyeconomy |