Thursday, 25 December 2014

Implementing Effective Product Branding Strategies To Stay On Top Of Competition

By Stacey Burt


Competition in the business world is normal, and those who wish to survive must work harder. One of the tools that a business can use to gain a competitive advantage is having good product branding strategies. Communicating the information on a product has to be done in a manner that it captures the correct information that is intended for the target audience. This strategy also considers the who, the when and the why of the communication.

The structure of product branding communication must be consistent all the time, whether for internal or external audiences. Consistency gives employees of the business a better understanding of the brand being projected. Customers would also be able to identify the message with the brand because of the consistency in its structure.

An emotionally appealing message about the brand works well. This is because many people buy products they have "good feelings" about. An emotionally appealing message would give these customers a "good feeling" about the business and bring in many more customers.

Appreciating customers is also a good principle when strategizing product branding. Like everyone else, dedicated customers like to be recognized. It is customers that build a brand, and as such, they need to be recognized. This is because apart from subscribing to the product themselves, they market it by recommending it to other people. Sending little thank-you presents to these customers would help re-enforce the message about the brand. It can be small branded souvenirs from the company, or calls and messages to thank them for their dedication to the product.

Helping customers with extra services that they do not have to pay for is also a great principle to consider in product branding. A brand is not just the company logo or the catchy name; it is customers that make a brand. The branding strategy, if blended well with the mission statement of the business helps because this statement is usually customer oriented. A retail shop selling electronic equipment, for example, can make customers happy by providing a customer care line that is tollfree.

Though branding strategies are well thought through before implementing, there is no guarantee that they would work as intended. It is therefore important for the business to always go back and measure the success levels attained. Measuring the marketing metrics before and after implementing the strategy would help to know how much gain is made and if there is a need for re-strategizing.

Rigidity is a characteristic that should not be shown by a good branding strategy. In the current business environment, trends change day-in, day-out, and a good strategy should be able to accommodate these changes. The strategy has to be that small modifications to the branding message can be made for different target groups.

Observing the strategies of competing brands can also help a business stay on top of the competition. This is because both businesses seek to capture the same pool of customers. Care should be taken, however, not to copy just anything from competitors.




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