Brand Identity Marketing

Brand identity marketing is the process by which you establish a name for your business or product with the consumer.

The first important concept to grasp is the difference between branding and selling. A company out to sell a product is looking to the short term. It will have sales and use advertising to boost immediate sells, creating, in essence, a short-term boost in consumption. Branding looks to the long term. It consists of those marketing strategies that implant the name of your company or product into the minds of the consumers. This is typically done through the use of the following types of strategies:

• Building brand recognition through widespread publicity. This strategy is based on the fact that the more often a consumer sees your brand name, the more recognizable it becomes to them. People like what is familiar, so they are apt to try your product because they recognize you as established in the industry.

• Identifying and filling a niche in the marketplace. If you are the only one to create Widget XYZ, then you have created a unique place for yourself in the market. Businesses that successfully build a brand on this basis often find their product name becomes a household pseudonym for the item type. For example, people often used the term "Xerox" interchangeably with "copy machine".

• Providing a quality product or service that is superior to the competitor, often at a better cost.

• Creating a unique and memorable name and logo, such as Apple, McDonald's, and Gateway.

While a widely advertised sale can give you an immediate sales spike, it can be a costly endeavor, and once the sale is over, your sales may drop back to normal levels. With brand identity marketing, the customer is conditioned to think of you first the next time they need to buy your products. You become a household name.

While some companies have found success with branding a wide variety of products, typically brand identity marketing works best when you narrow the scope of the products or services you offer. Think about it. While McDonald's offers chicken sandwiches and salads, what do you immediately think about when you think of the fast food restaurant? More than likely, you think hamburgers. McDonald's built a brand on the narrowed scope of selling tasty hamburgers that you can grab on the go for a modest price.

It is easy to decide you want to build a business based on branding. Too many companies have proven this type of marketing works. The hard part is coming up with a viable plan within a workable budget. Fortunately, there are many marketing options you or your marketing director can employ to help you along your path. Here are some examples:

• Send out press releases to pertinent publications, such as the local newspapers and trade magazines, whenever you come out with a new line of products, hire new management, or sponsor charity events (see below).

• Plan the packaging of your product or service to highlight your logo and possibly company slogan. If you run an office cleaning business, send employees out in polo shirts that feature the logo. If you sell sportswear, the shopping bags should carry your logo. Often shopping bags are reused, so not only will the customer carry your logo out of the store, he may also carry his lunch in it to work the next day, thus doubling your exposure.

• Sponsor charity events, neighborhood block parties, and product-related conferences, such as book expos and home improvement shows. Typically sponsors receive a mention in flyers, programs, and often can even put up a banner. Best of all, the cost of sponsoring a charity event may be tax deductible.

Most importantly, provide a product or service that people want to talk about in a good way. Positive word of mouth is the ultimate way to build up a sustainable branding identity.

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