One of the things that comes to mind when I'm working on a branding piece is a slogan I found once on a website: you're only as good as your last brand impression. How true this is. For example, think of a restaurant - when you have a great experience, that's what sticks with you: the service, the food, the value, etc. Now, imagine having a bad experience at that same restaurant. That's what sticks with you: the haphazard service, the subpar food, the exhorbitant prices, etc. The point is that there is no such thing as a do-over. Case in point - Domino's Pizza. Can you pick up the phone and order a pizza without remembering the video shot by a disgruntled employee? Neither can I.
We need to keep in mind when crafting a message whether or or not it makes the right statement about a brand and if it creates a positive experience for the customer in our quest to turn them into a brand evangelist. Brand messaging is a complex process consisting of:
- Researching the needs and preferences of the target audience
- Identifying what features and benefits truly appeal to the consumer, as well as which ones will motivate the consumer to purchase
- Designing a presentation that maximizes the impact and impression of your business
- Creating messaging that makes your product stand out as fun, relevant, or useful
When designing your brand message, remember that timing is everything - your target audience needs to be receptive to your message and product, or else it doesn't matter what you have to say. And, regardless of what you do say, it needs to be consistent across all of the channels you utilize.
Much to the chagrin of many marketers, brand impression is largely made up of qualitative, not quantitative, information that makes it close-to-impossible to define the ROI. Ragardless, it matters and it deserves your attention.
Comments