Branding is one of the most powerful components of a growing business. But merely having a brand does not automatically guarantee success. Sometimes, a business's brand identity can even hold them back. In this blog, we'll investigate common branding pitfalls that signal when it's time to rebrand your business.
Four Common Branding Pitfalls
Most branding problems fall into a few basic categories; some are easier to fix than others. The solutions can range from minor changes to a complete rebranding process.
1. Branding Message Sends Mixed Signals
Often companies' branding messages try to do too much at a time. Instead of a concise message reinforcing the biggest advantage of the business, the company attempts to enumerate all the ways the company is great. This can overwhelm an audience, be confusing, and may appear disingenuous. After all, it's unlikely that a company can simultaneously have the most advanced services, lowest prices, best customer service, and fastest completion times. Even if a company so outmatches its direct competition that all these are true, it's still best to identify the biggest priority for your potential customers and hone your branding message around that advantage.
2. Brand Does Not Resonate with Intended Audience
Sometimes businesses misidentify their potential customers' major priorities, which leads to a branding message that doesn't resonate. For instance, a kitchen remodeling business finds that they excel in a couple of ways: building code compliance and partnership with a popular kitchen designer. While building code compliance is essential to good business and customer satisfaction, making their main branding message around it may not address the top priorities of your audience. Instead, the company should craft its main message around award-winning kitchen designs. There is plenty of time to address training, certifications, and code compliance in marketing materials, but it shouldn't be the main branding focus.
3. Brand Does Not Align with Business Goals
Good marketing practice is dividing your potential customer base into multiple audiences. There are times when each audience will have the same priorities, in which case a company's branding message can equally resonate with all audiences. In other cases, each set of potential customers' preferences differ. In these circumstances, crafting a primary branding message that speaks to the most important audience for the business's goals is essential. Typically, this will be the largest audience, the one the company is best equipped to serve, or the one that offers the highest marketing return on investment. A business that fails to speak to its most important audiences will waste marketing money and stunt its growth.
4. Branding Is Overly Complicated
The final common branding pitfall is crafting an overly complicated message. A business can identify its most important competitive advantage to its audience but fail to make a connection with its potential customers. In these cases, the disconnect often comes down to phrasing. For example, the business' branding message may use jargon or acronyms that are not generally understood by the audience. Companies in this situation do not necessarily need to start from the beginning. It may be enough to explore better ways of communicating the brand message.
Does Your Business Fall Into One of These Branding Pitfalls?
Each of the brand messaging problems is a common occurrence. If it's time for your business to chart a new course for branding, or you need some help honing your branding into a more concise and resonant message, we are ready to help your business achieve those goals. Your company's potential is waiting to be tapped into, and we look forward to helping you on your journey. If you're ready to talk with a Zimmer Marketing branding consultant, please get in touch with us today!
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