Sure, you may have a cool logo, great colors, and a font that feels right, but a brand is much more than its design elements. A brand is a promise, an expectation, a feeling when a customer uses your product or service. It’s a powerful association that will shape the consumer perception about your product/service, even if they haven’t engaged with your brand directly. Do you have expectations when you buy a pineapple? Would you choose Dole Tropical Gold over Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet or a lesser known brand? Does it matter if it came from Hawai’i?
How does your brand leave your customer feeling? Is that different from your desired brand experience? It is common for companies, even large multi-national ones, to have a discrepancy between the company’s perceived/desired brand perception and the customers’ actual brand perception.
A brand is a promise of what your consumers can expect every time they interact with your brand, whether it’s the product, social media page, or another marketing tactic. The only way to deliver on that promise, or build customer expectations, is to deliver in a consistent manner. Every interaction should reflect your brand in tone, imagery, content, and style. This does not mean that it’s always exactly the same, rather your customer should walk away with the same feeling about your brand every time.
What are your first thoughts when you see Nordstrom’s logo? Do you feel attended to as you are surrounded by quality products and a beautiful experience? Even if you haven’t shopped at Nordstrom, chances are you have heard about their customer service. Since the first store opened in 1901, excellent customer service has been a core value supported by company policies, building a brand promise and customer expectation. Nordstrom is often cited as the leader in customer service, and none of it would have been possible without consistency in delivering excellent customer service no matter which location you visit.
Is your brand providing a consistent experience that is aligned with your brand promise? You may not know the real answer unless you have surveyed your customers recently. It may be a good idea to survey non-customers as well, to understand the level of brand awareness and your brand’s marketplace reputation.
Maybe your brand is not clearly defined yet. How do you share content and engage with your customers consistently? It’s not just producing a weekly blog or a daily social media post, it’s about the brand voice, content and how you engage with your customers and prospects. If you are not authentically representing your brand in every marketing touchpoint, your customers are likely confused and uncertain about what to expect when interacting with your brand. Companies need to build trust, familiarity, and manage expectations with every brand touchpoint. There’s a lot to consider and it should be strategically planned and executed by someone with marketing expertise.
Marketing Mana helps small businesses identify their brand and target customer segments to produce relevant messaging and effective marketing. Industry doesn’t matter to us because we focus on the customer. We want your customers to feel like ‘ohana (family) and create a better customer journey by matching your value and benefits to your customer needs and pain points. After all, you’re in business to help someone and make a living. We understand that marketing isn’t everyone’s favorite topic, or perhaps it’s overwhelming, or you just don’t know where to begin. It’s never too late to fix your brand or other elements of your marketing foundation. Now, Marketing Mana offers hourly marketing strategy consulting so you can get the direction you need during a collaborative session to build faster results.
