Branding
A brand is a unique name, symbol, design, or combination of these elements that identifies and distinguishes a product, service, or company from its competitors. A brand is more than just a logo or a slogan; it encompasses the entire identity and reputation of a business, including its values, personality, and customer experience.
A strong brand helps to establish trust, credibility, and loyalty among customers, and can increase the perceived value of a product or service. A brand is also a way for businesses to communicate their mission and vision to their customers, and to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace.
Branding involves a variety of activities, such as market research, logo design, advertising, packaging, and customer service. The goal of branding is to create a consistent and compelling message that resonates with customers and builds a lasting relationship between the business and its audience.
Defining your brand can come in handy in so many ways. Whether it be for finding a job, selling a product, creating a business or gaining followers on social media, a brand can help others recognize who you are.
To create your brand:
- determine your colour palette to use consistently- for you and/or for your work
- understand what makes you unique and build on those characteristics – what do you like and dislike (hobbies, beliefs, values, goals, strengths, etc.)
- decide what personality you are and/or what personality your work has (whimsy, dark, playful, hopeful, etc.)
- if using sound in your work, be consistent with the genre or tone
- make sure your brand tells a story of who you are (language, values, moods, skills, tone etc.)
- be consistent with your brand – don’t be afraid of evolving or reinventing your brand, but don’t constantly change
- always be authentic
Why Marketing Skills are Valuable
- Promoting products and services: Marketing skills can help individuals and organizations promote their products, services or ideas effectively, which can lead to increased sales, revenue and reach.
- Understanding your target audiences needs: Marketing skills can help individuals and organizations better understand consumer needs and preferences, which can enable them to develop products, services and ideas that meet those needs.
- Competitive advantage: Effective marketing can provide a competitive advantage by differentiating products, services and ideas from those of competitors.
- Brand awareness: Marketing skills can help individuals and organizations build brand awareness and recognition, which can enhance reputation and increase customer loyalty and create a bigger following.
- Customer engagement: Marketing skills can help individuals and organizations engage with customers effectively, which can build relationships and increase consumer satisfaction.
- Innovation: Marketing skills can also be used to identify new market opportunities and to develop innovative products, services or ideas that meet customer needs.
Steps on How to Market
- Research your audience – who do you want to target to bring awareness to your story? What do they like? What do you want them to do? Take action? Be aware?
- Research any competitors or others who are attempting to share their story. How will yours be different? More impactful?
- Determine the message you want to use to gather interest from your audience. What tone should you use to target them? Humour? Positive messaging? Shock value?
- Figure out the best ways to connect with your audience. Online? What platform? In person?
- Blast out your message on your platform(s) and monitor the feedback.
- If your marketing pitch doesn’t work, try a different method by starting at the first step again.
