7 Characteristics of Branding

As marketers, we’re always interested in viewing branding from as many angles as possible. Each marketer has a unique perspective when it comes to the most important things to remember in order to develop a successful brand. Jason DeMers takes an interesting perspective and proposes “The Top 7 Characteristics of Successful Brands.” We’re going to dive a bit deeper into these characteristics that we also think are the most important. He identifies these characteristics as audience knowledge, uniqueness, passion, consistency, competitiveness, exposure, and leadership.

Audience Knowledge

When it comes to developing your brand, the very first question you need to ask yourself is who exactly your target audience is. This is your biggest insight when it comes to determining a tone that is appealing to your audience and actually makes them want to listen.

Uniqueness

Differentiation is one of the most important things when it comes to branding. Everyone is selling something and chances are, at least someone is selling something similar to what you’re selling. Your job is to let your audience know what makes you different and why should they care? At the end of the day, this uniqueness or differentiation is going to be the determining factor when it comes down to a consumers decision between your product or service and someone else’s.

Passion

You can’t expect someone else to be excited about your product if you aren’t. You have to believe in your product or service wholeheartedly. Typically your passion and excitement is likely to wear off on your consumers hopefully making them just as excited and enthusiastic about your product or service as you are.

Consistency

In order to establish a brand your consumers understand, it’s important to remain constant with the story you’re trying to tell. Remaining consistent with your branding portrays a confidence that you’ll remain consistent with your product or service ultimately making you reliable. By standing firm and pursuing the brand you’ve established and developing that specific story further it is much more likely that your consumers will remain loyal to your brand. However on the other hand, if even you can’t stay loyal to your brand or story how can you expect your consumers to?

Competitiveness

Is starting a new challenge (such as a new business) even fun without some competition? Rather than being nervous or anxious over your business’s competitors, you and your team should use these feelings as motivation to work harder and strive toward improving your own brand. Make sure you have the right “movers and shakers” behind you and your brand to go above any customer expectations. With this type of outlook, your brand will stay ahead of your competitors; while also being prepared for any potential future entrants to enter your industry.

Exposure

If a company is able to reach multiple customers through numerous channels, then they they are on the right path to becoming successful and distinctive. This is where larger companies have an advantage as they typically have a larger marketing budget, as well as more connections to work with side-by-side. Today, however, has altered how small companies can compete with these larger companies due to advances in technology and increased popularity with social media. With the right tools and knowledge, spreading your business’s brand is easier than ever.

Leadership

Building a business also requires building a team, and what does every team have in common? They all require a leader. This is someone to coordinate all team member efforts and to be the final decision-maker when it comes down to it. The leader is also someone who serves as the liaison between numerous departments and resolves any current or potential conflicts. Most importantly, they are there to serve as the official motivators to ensure all departments are able to work cohesively and at their best efforts.