Branex branding<\/a> & marketing, while onboarding clients, this is the first question we often ask ourselves:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n“If this company disappeared tomorrow, what positive impact would be missing from the world?”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nIt\u2019s ingrained in our concepts that a strong brand must have a promising purpose. This way, our employees can better understand what they are working towards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt keeps them in the clear about the brand values they need to uphold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn our opinion, a company that\u2019s clear on a brand\u2019s purpose can create better emotional connections.<\/span><\/p>\nHere\u2019s the thing about brand purpose, it\u2019s a two way street. If a company claims to care about a cause, but its behavior suggests otherwise\u2026 It fails to win customers and their trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Your Brand Vision?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
The next question you need to ask is what future is your brand trying to create?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAnd the answer is in setting up your brand vision. A vision is a statement, one where you envision what the company aspires to be in the future & the impact it will create on the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhile purpose explains <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> a brand exists, vision explains <\/span>where<\/span><\/i> it wants to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA strong vision provides direction for growth, innovation, and decision-making. For example, a coworking space in Saudi Arabia doesn\u2019t want to stay just limited to renting out shared workspace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt may want to build the perfect environment where leading businesses can connect & collaborate; a place where startups, investors, freelancers & industry experts can come together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAn effective brand vision can be ambitious, but it has to be realistic so people can work on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Your Brand Mission?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Brand mission tells what a company needs to achieve on an everyday basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIf your brand vision is the destination, the mission is the ongoing effort you’re going to put to help your brand reach there. For example, if a coworking space envisions becoming the leading place for entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate, its mission statement will be to:<\/span><\/p>\n“Provide flexible workspaces and business support services for startups and SMEs.”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nThis mission is clear and is focused on a future outcome based on present actions which create true value, such as offering a decent enough office space for organizing networking events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt creates a responsible setup for meetings and supports the overall business growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYour brand mission defines what the company does, who it serves, and how it delivers value in pursuit of its long-term vision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat are Your Brand Values?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Brand values are the core beliefs a company holds about their product or service.<\/span><\/p>\nIt explains how a company behaves, what decisions they make and how it treats people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIf your brand has a strong set of values, it will show up in the actions you’re going to perform.<\/span><\/p>\nSome decent examples of good brand values are environmental responsibility, long-term sustainability, green digital practices, customer-first mindset, result-oriented projections, etc.<\/span><\/p>\nBrand values help answer questions like:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- What will we never compromise on?<\/span><\/li>\n
- What kind of behavior is acceptable?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- How do we treat customers and employees?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Consistency is key here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIf you\u2019re a brand claiming transparency, but you hide pricing or terms\u2026 the value breaks in the eyes of the customer and they may eventually choose your competitor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Your Brand Personality?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Brand personality is giving your brand a persona.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt’s setting the brand’s human traits so that it becomes easier for people to relate to it.<\/span><\/p>\nA brand can make people feel:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Friendly and approachable<\/span><\/li>\n
- Professional and serious<\/span><\/li>\n
- Bold and energetic<\/span><\/li>\n
- Luxury and refined<\/span><\/li>\n
- Playful and casual<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For example, Nike often shows up as bold, competitive and motivational. This personality of Nike often becomes visible in its campaigns, athlete partnerships and brand\u2019s specific messaging style.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA brand\u2019s personality shapes how people emotionally experience the brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Your Brand\u2019s Voice & Tone?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Lastly, you need to give your brand a voice, one that communicates. A brand\u2019s voice is something that remains consistent and doesn\u2019t change. It reflects the brand\u2019s personality in clear wordings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTone, however, is the voice that adapts depending on the situation. For example, a voice can be clear, direct, and helpful. But the tone can shift depending on the situation. In marketing, it needs to be confident and inspiring. In customer support, it needs to be calm & reassuring. While filing a complaint for a customer, the tone can adjust and become more empathetic & focused.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAt Branex, our objective is to maintain a clear brand voice. And therefore, we keep things simple and clear for our end customers to understand our true values and consider us for purchase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA practical way to explain this is:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Voice means who you are when you speak.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Tone means how you adjust based on the situation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/span>What Are the Factors That Shape Brand Perception?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\nTwo companies may offer nearly identical products, but customers often choose the brand they trust more. Why? It\u2019s because that brand has built a winning perception.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nProduct or Service Quality<\/b><\/h3>\n
If you want to shape brand perception for your audience, you need to begin with improving the quality of your product or service. Customers often have strong opinions about certain brands based on what sort of experience they previously had with it. It\u2019s normal for people to want to make sure a brand they associate themselves with can deliver on its promises. When a brand fails to meet those expectations, it ultimately loses the customers goodwill and they choose a different product, one that solves their problem. Brand perception gradually builds up with every positive interaction. The more positive interactions a brand has, more likely it becomes a trusted source for customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCustomer Experience<\/b><\/h3>\n
Like we said, every customer interaction contributes to building a brand\u2019s positive perception. Maybe it’s a small navigation fix on the website which helps customers find what they are looking for. Or an interesting customer journey of a product purchase, or a support team member resolving a customer\u2019s issue and winning an after-sale. All such little interactions cumulatively creates a positive customer experience, one which eventually translates into building a positive brand perception. It breeds customer loyalty instead of frustrating experiences which could possibly turn negative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBrands who value convenience, responsiveness and customer care are often perceived as more trustworthy and customer-focused in comparison to other brands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nReviews and Testimonials<\/b><\/h3>\n
Another aspect of building a positive brand perception is to acquire positive customer reviews and place them as testimonials on your website. Positive reviews can be collected from social media, whatsapp messages, feedback forms, etc. You can directly ask customers about their experience with your product\/service or you can have a feedback form sent to their email. The more positively stronger the reviews and testimonials, the greater will be your brand\u2019s perception in the eyes of customers. Just make sure that your brand doesn\u2019t start receiving negative reviews in good numbers, otherwise, even your green flags can turn into red ones. People trust peer recommendations more than advertising.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSocial Media Presence<\/b><\/h3>\n
A strong social media presence shows your brand is a happening one. Social noise creates the perfect opportunity for customers to understand your brand values, your vision, mission and goals. When companies invest in building their social media profiles, they attract a number of followers. They respond to their questions regarding the product\/service, handle criticism and share valuable content which influences public perception. With consistent engagement & meaningful interactions, they often establish authenticity, which ultimately contributes to building a positive brand perception. Many look at social media presence as a real-time reflection of an organization\u2019s digital standings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPublic Relations and Media Coverage<\/b><\/h3>\n
Public relations and media coverage is also where you build your brand perception. When your brand is associated with positive news stories, features expert interviews, and carry forward successful partnerships, it all contributes towards increasing a brand\u2019s credibility online. Whereas, if it\u2019s the opposite such as negative press about your brand or controversies surrounding your product\/services, it can eventually lead to damaging your brand image. Customer opinions heavily influence the image of your product or services and whether they are good enough or not. Media outlets become the fueling agents significantly shaping the very sentiment which the general public holds about a brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEmployee Advocacy<\/b><\/h3>\n
Your employees also play their part in influencing brand perception. Many employees represent companies through their actions, interactions and experiences. As far as customers are concerned, they form opinions about the company based on how the employee communicates. When they talk exuberantly about their companies, it shows what their internal culture feels like.\u00a0 A motivated and proud employee will always lead a better brand advocacy and build positive perception. Whereas, when an employee is sad, unsatisfied or unfulfilled, they leave a negative impact on the customer. As a result, such employees damage the brand\u2019s overall reputation leading to business loss.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n