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Ambitious Branding: How To Capture The Hearts And Minds Of Customers

When you want to capture market share and repeat customers on a tight budget it’s tempting to overlook branding as an expensive, non-essential marketing tool. But that would...

Photo: Liam Green, Founder of Hype; Photo: Courtesy Photo
Photo: Liam Green, Founder of Hype; Photo: Courtesy Photo

The bold and irreverent personality of Hype spoke to early fans when the clothing brand released their first T-shirts, featuring tattooed, pierced images of Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. The key here is brand consistency. Your brand should ensure that all communications, whether a photograph or a billboard, reflect the same core values that underpin your product or service.

 

Brand Personality

Does your business have a personality? If the answer is No, you’re in serious danger of becoming a wallflower.

If it sounds daunting, at least small businesses have an advantage when it comes to creating a unique, memorable personality. You can see this principle in action by watching entrepreneur Levi Roots’ first meeting with the dragons on Dragons Den (a British television series that features entrepreneurs presenting their business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, the “Dragons”, and pitching for financial investment offering a stake of the company in return).

As with people, personality is conveyed through every interaction with customers, so it needs to be genuine. There’s no point in trying to talk to customers on social media in a totally different way than you would on the phone or in person. If your business is friendly and informal in person, let go of the corporate “speak”. To get this right, it’s important to know who your customer is and how your business best serves them.

 

Customer Alignment

This covers two essential elements: your ideal buyer persona and your value proposition. If you don’t know these two aspects then you’ll struggle to pitch your business correctly. You could end up failing to highlight the aspects which would seal the deal for your ideal clients and potentially use the wrong channels to communicate with them.

If you get these two things right, you can talk to customers in a way that resonates with them, not just offering them what they want the first time they land on your company website or come into your establishment. Ultimately, you can build a valuable, long-term relationship.

A buyer persona is a fictional profile of your perfect customer. What type of person becomes a repeat customer and recommends you to their friends? Who are your best customers?

Your value proposition is the unique factor that differentiates you from other businesses offering similar services. For Hype it’s their fresh, bold designs and urban attitude. If you want to see these two factors in action compare Hype’s recent lookbook with English fashion designer Cath Kidston. They both sell bold, patterned clothes and accessories, but it’s obvious that their target audiences are very different and they’ve tailored their communication accordingly.

This is just the start – using these tips can help give your business the focus it needs to become memorable, even remarkable.

 

This article has been edited and condensed.

Sarah Willis is a freelance writer and editor covering a range of subjects from start-ups, business finance and investment. Connect with @SarahQWillis on Twitter.

 

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