Having a strong brand identity is critical for any business, reports the U.S. Small Business Administration, regardless of your industry. With a strong brand comes improved consumer recall, meaning customers will instantly recognize your brand and instinctively know what resources you offer. This translates to better sales and improved customer retention. If you feel like your brand is suffering, or if you're launching a new brand, various strategies can enhance and strengthen your branding power among your customer base.
Instructions
1. Create proof points. These are specific products, programs and resources that you offer customers to prove your brand identity. Think of them as the walk that backs up your talk. For example, Apple wouldn't be the brand that it is today if it only talked about great design but didn't have slick products that provided proof points. Look at your brand as it exists, and think about how you can prove what you say to customers in your advertising and literature. For example, if you promise great customer service, survey your customers -- if they say you have poor customer service, it's time for employee training.
2. Give away promotional products that show off or talk about your brand, suggests "Entrepreneur" magazine. These can be as simple as pens with your logo, or they can be more expensive products like USB flash drives loaded with marketing PDFs. You can use these as free promotional items at your storefront, value-added gifts -- for example, you could give away a certain gift if a customer purchases an order worth a certain amount -- or as brand-building handouts at industry events and conferences.
3. Monitor what things people are saying negatively about your brand. While you can never please everyone, too much negative talk, or the appearance of not caring what customers say, weakens your brand identity, especially if your brand is built around service or quality. International publicist Starr Hall recommends acknowledging the customer's displeasure, responding politely and making the situation right.
4. Differentiate yourself from your competitors. Everything your brand does must be individual, or else you run the risk of having your constituents confused about who you are or -- even worse -- thinking you're affiliated with another business. Everything from the vocabulary you use to the tone of your advertisements and the color and shape of your logo should be distinctly yours.
5. Get your brand online. Every brand needs a website -- if you don't have one, hire a web developer to create one. Additionally, "Entrepreneur" recommends regularly searching the Internet for blogs and forums that discuss your brand. That can help you monitor what people are saying about you and, if it's negative, respond in a way that shows your brand cares and wants to correct it. On the flip side, it can also show you what you're doing right.
