Brand Image and Consumers: 3 Tips for Engagement

In the crowded advertising world, tailoring content and engaging people is central in influencing consumer behaviour and leading people’s lifestyle aspirations. So how can you direct the decision-making of potential and existing clients? Here’s a few tips to get you started when you’re looking to brand, or re-brand, your latest business or enterprise.

Brand Identity

One of the ways humans make choices is via familiarisation. For example, we buy certain brands of milk because of the taste, price point and quality. This preference is based on prior info we know about that product and, therefore,we know what to expect when we buy it. Like a favourite brand of milk, yourfamiliarity with potential clients is a means to increased sales, and being more visible to clients is linked to your brand’s identity and what it says to them.

So answer these about your business: what does it stand for? What are your competitors doing? Who are your customers? These answers are the first step in crafting the strategy to guide everything from website design, staffing choices, customer communications and business partners. Holistically approaching brand identity means can make choices that consistently project a seamless image. This builds familiarity and trust with your clients as they learn the level of service/quality to expect from you. If it’s positive, a consumer that is familiar with your brand is less likely to seek out alternatives.

Visual Elements

A large aspect of your brand’s identity rests in how it communicates itself visually. How can people ‘see’ your company or enterprise? Is it certain colours, a logo or catchphrase that sets you apart in your marketing? You may want to source your sign design or outsource this task yourself. Whichever approach you take, the identifying aspects of your brand should be distinctive and assist to cultivate an ‘image’ in your customer’s mind. How positive or negative this image is will indicate how successful your brand identity was in communicating what you intended to say to your customers.

A number of strategies can be usedto influence buying behaviour. This includes discount pricing, promotional offers, strategic PR campaigns and good-old-fashioned word of mouth. Add digital communications and if the right person promotes your product, awareness and sales will exponentially increase. However, these success stories are not down to luck or passive branding. There is careful consideration behind each marketing strategy and who it’s looking to target to gain market leverage.

Listening and Evolving

Sometimes, developing brand identity results in a less than desirable image. Perhaps the approach can be too loud/soft, at the wrong time, not relevant to your target customers. If this is the case, head back to the drawing board and evolve what you have worked on. You may need some market research to help you better listen and profile target demographics. Or you may need to tweak your method of communication to your customers to better streamline your business’ offerings. The key to resolving branding issues is to listen to feedback, identify the problem and evolve your marketing strategy to address any gaps.