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Building a Memorable Brand

Who could forget the classic slogan for Smucker’s: “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good!” I am no expert on jams and jellies, but the Smucker’s brand certainly gives me confidence that I am buying the best.

Building a Memorable Brand

Creating a brand that’s recognizable to consumers takes a dedicated approach.

By Fran Carville, CRM

(Originally printed in the March/April 2023 issue of Insights.)

Who could forget the classic slogan for Smucker’s: “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good!” I am no expert on jams and jellies, but the Smucker’s brand certainly gives me confidence that I am buying the best.

Today we are constantly bombarded with slogans, ads, marketing schemes and commercials from businesses, politicians and social causes. Messages pop up on bumper stickers, social media and TV. While we are inundated with countless cries of “remember me” from groups all over, only one or two will successfully achieve their goal.

Large corporations spend millions of dollars in efforts to make consumers remember them. Some are very successful, others not so much. If most large companies can’t succeed in conveying a clear, memorable message to consumers, what chance do we, as small business owners, have in making consumers remember us? The answer just might be in your branding.

Branding Basics

Branding is a fancy way of saying, “This is who my company is, this is what we stand for, and this is what we offer to consumers.” Your brand is what sets you apart from the competition. Your brand helps consumers choose you to provide the right solutions to their problem. Branding is about developing a unified company image and marketing plan. It burns your company’s name into the consumer’s mind.

One of the most difficult challenges many small business owners face is determining exactly who they are and what sets them apart. Some bigger companies make it easy—Mercedes provides luxury driving and Walt Disney World promises magical times.

These companies show that branding goes beyond just offering good service, good quality and fair prices. It’s about how current customers see you.

A first step in understanding your brand is to ask a variety of customers why they do business with you. Are your hours convenient? Is your location close to them? Are you reliable? Whatever aspect is most important to your current customer base might just be the cornerstone of your marketing plan.

 

Plus, your customers’ answers may highlight that your company already has a brand. Once you have done some digging, you have two choices: Be happy with your current brand and work to promote that brand, or admit that you are not positioned the way you want to be and develop a plan to change people’s perception.

Before you spend any money on marketing, you should also determine who you are and what type of customers would be attracted by your brand. A consistent brand gives consumers confidence that you are the best choice. Your brand must be clear because we all know you can’t be all things to all people. Your target audience must know that doing business with you will benefit them. The more credible your brand, the more business you will attract and keep.

Two common tag lines in retailing are “award-winning service” and “best selection available.” Have you actually won awards for your service? Do you have more merchandise and product lines than anyone else? If you can’t back it up, your tagline is meaningless. The more credible your brand, the more business you will attract and keep.

Promotion

It doesn’t matter how great you are if no one knows about you. Marketing guru Peter Montoya summed it up well when he wrote: “Always assume the world is utterly indifferent to your business, no matter how good you are. Your task is to grab the customer by the hand and make them care.”

Your brand serves as the foundation of all your marketing plans. Every tool you use to promote your business should revolve around your brand, and your goal is to get consumers to remember you. Starbucks turned an ordinary cup of coffee into an elevated experience; Whole Foods made grocery shopping and fresh food “cool.”

A good brand does not evolve quickly. You may decide your company’s brand overnight, but it will take time and commitment to make your brand a household name with your target audience. If you never lose sight that your company’s brand must be promoted and sold every day, before long, consumers will remember you.

Fran Carville, CRM is an Awards and Personalization Association past president, educational speaker, 2008 Speaker of the Year, a member of the Hall of Fame and winner of an Award of Excellence from the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. Fran and her husband, Tom Carville, CRM, own Carco Awards in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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