Why is Branding Important?
As a business your branding is what gives you an identity. Whether you sell a product that you’ve created or you resell products that are widely available - what connects a customer to you, is often your brand.
In many markets saturation is high, meaning there are sometimes hundreds if not thousands of brands competing for the same customers. If they’re all selling the same product and with similar pricing, your brand and how you present it could be the differentiator.
Think about some of the biggest companies in the world, are they well known because they have completely unique products? Or are they well known because they’ve created a brand to pair with their products? Think Pepsi, Coca Cola, Nike, Adidas, and the likes. Each one of those examples competes with each other with incredibly similar products. But what defines them is their brand identity and what they stand for.
How Do You Create a Brand Experience?
It’s pretty easy to pluck out those big brands and hold them up in high praise, and think emulating them might seem a massive challenge. But if you relate it back to your business you only need to recreate the same effect, not the same reach. Customers purchase repeatedly from brands they trust and know even if there are similar products, because they’ve created a loyal customer.
It all starts with your product and your service, it’s not about having a stand out logo or a great, clever business name. Yes a smart professional logo and a memorable name helps but if your product and your reason for selling it doesn’t connect, your logo will be a waste of money.
Review all aspects of your product and ask yourself:
- What makes my product unique?
- What’s better about our product than anyone else?
- What are the benefits and the features (customers buy the benefits not the features, so explain why a feature is a benefit for them)?
- What customer service do you offer, is it getting rave reviews or falling short?
- What about your aftersales, how can the customer be sure they’ll be looked after once they’ve parted with their money?
Those questions will help you think like a customer and assess what a customer expects from you.
How To Keep The Cost Down On Branded Packaging
Another great way to build a connection with your customer is using branded packaging. If you sell online you’ll never meet your customers which means you can’t build a connection or rapport easily. But your branded packaging and unboxing can do that work for you. It’s easy to use plain old brown packaging but if you’re product really is the best, your packaging better match up.
It can feel like an additional cost to invest in good quality packaging and even sustainable packaging can seem expensive. But remember our point about the benefits not the features? Well sustainable packaging is a feature of your business. Whilst the benefit to you and the customer is lowering the combined carbon footprint, it’s fast becoming a selling tool to shout about, rather than just a cost.
There are lots of ways to keep the cost down when it comes to branding your packaging. Rather than buying a printed cardboard box with a custom design and often a high price, why not opt for a simple logo sticker or message on the box? Then fill it with printed tissue paper with your logo on. Or perhaps look at some branded tape with your logo on, rather than the whole box. Little workarounds like this help you keep costs down but still create that brand connection.
Another great way to connect with customers is personalisation. Drop a hand written note in every box thanking the customer personally for their recent order. Those little touches are a great way to add a human touch to your online business and help you stand out. The customer might even share their experience and help promote your brand.
Create an Experience Your Customers Will Love
Building a brand takes time, whether you’ve run your business for years or you’re just starting out – the key is to learn how to create an experience your customers love. That little excitement from your customers when your product arrives at their door will keep them coming back for more. It’s also incredibly powerful if the worst happens and something goes wrong. A customer who trusts you and enjoys your product is far more understanding should they have problem. They’ll have a better impression of you too, knowing that you’re not the kind of business that just throws their product out the door.
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