Does your business strive to build a brand??

In today’s market where we are inundated with over 3500 advertisements a day and new products and companies appear and vanish quicker than a Minnesota springtime, it is paramount now more than ever to build your brand then strengthen and protect it.

But building your brand is more than just a catchy logo and a slogan. Brand building today requires a more holistic approach across all marketing mediums as well as within your companies entire organization and processes.

Everything from how your customer service representative answers the phone, to how your internal employee flyers are formatted, to your radio advertisements and tradeshow displays need to be on message.

So how do we establish brand? Well first we need to define it…the best definition I found on line came from Seth Godin who wrote “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.  - Posted by Seth Godin on December 13, 2009 “

So based on that definition the first step to establishing a brand is determining what message, what image your company wants to convey.  What image should pop in to peoples mind when they think of your company, product or service (maybe a clown with a bright red hair)? Is their a unique shape that they should associate (a couple of arches perhaps)? A name they associate (like Mc(x) 0r (x)Mac)? An icon or sound (like duh-duh-da-duh-duh I’m lovin’…)? Maybe it’s price (extra value menu)? Or a service expectation? It might be one of these, a combination of a few or all of them, but in every instance its building a culture around these things that help strengthen and establish your brand.

Going back to Seth’s definition, establishing those memories, stories and relationships through advertising can be challenge. Do you use magazine ads? Television? YouTube videos? Where do you start? I would suggest considering promotional products as a key piece of your marketing efforts.

No other medium moves clients to say “Thank You” – When was the last time you thanked Ford for pre-empting the YouTube video you are waiting to watch?

No other medium leaves your customer with a product they can show off and tell the story of how they received.

All other mediums interrupt you…think about the last time you were playing Words with Friends and had to sit through an advertisement to continue, or as you were caught up in the elimination on MasterChef and all of a sudden a big red M logo pops up on screen signifying another commercial break. Well, promotional products don’t interrupt, they engage!

Next week I’ll touch on how to work with a promotional products distributor like ProMed Premiums to help you select promotional products that build your brand, and other items that you can use to communicate that brand message to all areas of your company.