Branding your company is critical in this age of commoditization. What is your company’s central branding message and has the marketplace embraced it?
Have you ever stood at attention and sung “Oh, Canada” accompanied by a steel pan band? Well it was certainly a first for me. And our national anthem has never sounded so …. relaxed!
We were attending the debut performance of a local steel pan band in my city’s downtown. My family got there just in time to nab the last comfy couch in the cafe. The eight-member ensemble was comprised of performers ranging in age from 10 years old to adult. As we sank into our couch, the rhythmic beat of a conga-like drum and steel pans immediately transported us to the Carribean.
Harry Belafonte classics like “Jamaica Farewell”, ” Matilda” and ” Yellow Bird” filled the cafe along with danceable numbers like “Hot, Hot, Hot.” Before long, several in the audience were moving, dancing and grinning in response. The playful island sounds were irresistible!
The performance was a bit like a free jam session. But if those musicians could bottle that fun, “feel good” sound, they could consistently deliver a positive branding experience to their audiences. Hearing steel pan music = feeling good. I think their customers would pay to hear more.
Branding Pays Dividends
Companies engaged in branding “seek to develop or align the expectations behind the brand experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities or characteristics that make it special or unique.” (Wikipedia)
What unique branding experience do your customers and prospects have when they interact with your company? Do they really see the “value-added” in your service that convinces them to pay a premium for it?
If you enjoy a lot of repeat business but find it harder to attract new customers, have you asked your prospects and customers about their experiences when they contact your company? What are your strengths and weakness from their point of view? Armed with their feedback, have you conscientiously improved your internal processes or promoted your perceived strengths?
An industrial company that lacks a clear brand identity is at an extreme disadvantage in this age of commoditization. It is, after all, successful branding that distinguishes your products and services from your competitors’. So in the battle for customers, your company’s branding message should go beyond a predictably canned mission statement on your website. (I wish I could get a buck for each corporate mission statement I see that claims the company “strives for excellence, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da!”)
Once clearly defined, your corporate branding message has to be actively managed and promoted online via press releases, case studies and white papers that present your company as an authority in your field.
According to search marketing firm, Enquiro, a vendor website is now the number one influencing factor in an industrial purchase. So if your website is designed and marketed well, it can be an excellent vehicle for gaining brand recognition in the marketplace.
When customers think 3M, they think “innovation”. The Hewlett Packard brand stands for “quality and dependability”.
What is your company’s brand identity?
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Photo Credit: Jon Vitale. Steel pans, Castara, Tobago
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