Brand Loyalty … How Passionate Are Your Fans?

Brand recognition and loyalty abounds in our culture. Engage any professional sports fan in a conversation about their team and the fervor is apparent — especially if you love the opposing team! There are brands to which I am loyal, but I’m always amazed and slightly awed when a brand so captures the attention of their fan base that they’re willing to wait all night in a line to get the next iteration of a phone – or to tattoo the brand logo on their bodies … but it happens!

There’s a lot of homework that goes into establishing brand recognition. It’s helpful and necessary to work with someone to successfully build the foundation of your brand and marketing. Many small businesses manage to plug along without identifying the voice of their company and establishing authentic brand messaging and strategy, but they’ll never really grow or reach their full potential without these pieces.

Find Your Brand Voice, a.k.a. Your Brand Message

Consistency in our messaging, language, and “look and feel” is crucial when it comes to establishing brand recognition. When the subject of branding comes up, too often logos are the only thing business owners think of, but in reality, they’re only a piece of the puzzle – the last piece of the puzzle.

Without authentic messaging driving and guiding your brand – a logo alone won’t cut it.

I refer to finding and establishing your brand messaging for your business as finding its “voice” because it’s rather like establishing a personality for your business. It must be authentic and it must be relevant.

Let’s face it, if your business specializes in helping people overcome grief, marketing messaging full of humor probably won’t endear you to your potential clients.

Establishing Brand Recognition

The idea is to create a brand that is easily recognizable by your current and future clients, customers, and vendors. We all know that a company like Target^® has millions to spend on their marketing budget and in support of their brand, but the same principles apply to small businesses, too.

• Determine the appropriate “voice” for your business and make sure that voice is reflected in ALL your materials — from your website, to your email signature, to your social media, to your customer service policies.
• Establish your brand and then don’t mess with it. If you change the look of your materials constantly, or your tone changes from week to week, it just creates confusion and a sense of distrust. Be consistent.
• Ensure all your marketing materials are in alignment with your brand and each other and reflect your core messaging.
• Know your ideal customer/client demographic and make sure you’re speaking to it — anything else is a waste of time.
• Listen to those ideal customers/clients (during conversations and in social media) and use their language — it’s a voice that will resonate with future customers and clients.

What’s the Voice of Your Business?

Want help establishing or refining your message (a.k.a. “voice”) to improve your brand recognition? Schedule a free 30-minute consult and together, we’ll create and build that brand foundation so your ideal customers/clients not only find you, but keep returning!