Branding is the DNA code of your business

Why would anybody go into a unit that looked like a shop but had no name, no window display, no signage and of which they had no prior knowledge – nothing to give them a clue as to what or who was inside? I believe that, if a person is out shopping they’re usually looking for something in particular (with exceptions, of course). Perhaps they are re-visiting a place that they like, so I ask again, why would they enter the outlet mentioned above?

The reason that developing your brand is so important is because it can assist the customer with their decision making.

In the beginning, when people purchased locally, it was a needs based decision and aligned with the seller’s character. The sellers were usually known personally and they were trusted to ‘do right’ by the customer. Branding wasn’t that important, from the customer’s point of view. Times have changed and now global and regional brands use comprehensive communication methods (and tools) to convince customers that they don’t have to shop locally. So the marketing challenge for them is not just to sell by painting a mental picture, and creating expectations, but to differentiate themselves, in the midst of all the other marketing noise, by being legitimately trustful and by building an almost personal relationship with them.

Multiple brand touch points.

Local business need to do the exact same thing because if they ignore this changing marketplace (offline and online), and aren’t providing relevant value in the minds of individual consumers, they are going to fail. The market will pass them by because in the current age of connectivity and other digital influences, customers are enabled to make more informed choices on their own i.e. without brands. Modern consumers are not putting up with being ‘sold’ to anymore. They are quite happy to have relationships with brands but are either buying online from those they trust or going to an outlet that they have already researched. Your brand has many, more touch points in these modern times, and it is imperative that it is in the forefront of your prospects minds.

As author and marketing consultant Lynn Serafin (www.the7gracesofmarketing.com) neatly describes it “. Think of branding as the DNA code of your business. Just as DNA defines whether you have blue or brown eyes, are short or tall, and everything else about your genetic inheritance, good branding is the code that defines and underpins all the vital characteristics of your company.”

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