The month of January is rapidly drawing to a close and now that you’re over the post-holiday blues I challenge you to seriously consider the way you are branding your business.

You are building a brand, right?

According to Barrett and Smimonds, there are 8 main elements to branding. A good branding campaign simply can’t exist without all 8 elements but very rarely do marketers sit down and think about each element before launching a campaign.

So what are the 8 most important elements? They’re as follows:

• Competitive context – do you have a needed/wanted product and does it exist in a competitive market?
• Do you know your target market? Advertising without this information is a waste of your time and money.
• Have you asked your customers for insight about the products and services you are offering? They’re the best source of information you have – and they’re almost always honest.
• Does your product or company have features that set you apart from the crowd?
• Do you offer benefits no other company offers?
• Does your brand have a challenging, fun, and engaging personality or does it simply exist.
• Do you know what makes you different from the competition?
• Does your brand have its own essence? Is it real, invariable, and energetic?

What type of brand are you working to build right now? Hopefully it’s something your customers (and employees, for that matter) can identify with. If not, you may need to consider making a few changes – and soon.

All the best

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker – Sales Expert