The importance of Branding

Branding is a very important part of company promotion.

The main objective of branding is to have the name of your company, product, service or website at the forefront of everyone's mind.

Just think of the Cola wars - Coke and Pepsi both spend an obscene amount of money every year trying to become the No. 1 brand. Many of their ads don't even try to sell the product - they simply sell the brand to create "brand awareness."

Even the word "branding" has its origins long before the arrival of modern media such as radio, TV and the Internet.Farmers have, for hundreds of years, "branded" stock with their own indelible logos - so as t o establish an inseparable link between the product and the provider.

How powerful a selling tool can branding be? This becomes apparent in our modern multi-media marketing environment when you think about such areas as:

• Fast Food - McDonalds
• Photocopiers - Xerox
• Computers - IBM
• Software - Microsoft

All these companies have established themselves as one of, if not "the" dominant player in their fields. They may have many competitors, and some of those competitors might well have superior products at superior prices - but none have done such a good job of impressing their brand into people's minds.

From this, it can be seen that the power of your brand might even be more important than the quality or price of your product. This is why establishing your brand is so important.

Ok, so the companies we have mentioned may all seem a bit 'major league' but it's all relative, and the message remains the same. Branding is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:

• Deliver the message clearly
• Confirms your credibility
• Connects your target prospects emotionally
• Motivates the buyer
• Concrete User Loyalty

A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. Your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer.

It's a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.

Ask yourself "What does branding mean to your company's marketing strategy?"

(source: Aardvark.co.nz / http://marketing.about.com)