5 Tips to Building a Clairvoyant Brand Strategy

5 Tips to Building a Clairvoyant Brand Strategy

Who are you? If someone has ever asked you this question, you’ve probably been unsure how to answer, especially if the person asking already knows your name. Your identity is a complicated mess of your own beliefs about yourself and the opinions of your peers.

For brands, the question, “Who are you?” is answered by your branding. Branding tells your customer what to think about your organization and ensures that everything the customer sees and hears about you supports this identity. It’s a matter of constantly adapting to and empathizing with your target consumer; when you begin to understand whom your customer is and what they want, you can even begin to predict the future.

We’re not kidding. We’re basically psychic. Read our tips for building a brand that is so good, it knows what the customer wants before they know they want it.

1. Woo Your Customer

Think of your customer as a great blind date. (Assuming, of course, those exist.) Both of you might have preconceived notions of the other before you even meet, but it is the job of your branding to make a great first impression and allow a relationship to develop. Balance fresh and exciting with being reliable and trustworthy enough that you don’t frighten them away. Be the whole package to your customer.

2. What’s Your “Thing”?

“Great customer service.” “We strive for the best.” “You can count on us.” Chances are you’ve heard phrases and taglines like this in company brochures, websites and slogans too many times to count. If your tagline sounds like every other Joe Schmo, Inc. out there, you haven’t identified that one thing that makes your brand irresistible. Although you might be a catchall service or company, a smattering of good does not translate to great. Make your company pick just one attribute to be most proud of and make it “your thing.” It will clarify your message and likely help you focus on tangible successes that are more appealing to a customer than a whole lot of fluff.

With differentiation in mind, there are plenty of other commonly made mistakes you can easily avoid. For instance, stating a cost of entry benefit is not impressive if everyone has to comply with a standard or certification. A new prescription drug commercial that touts that it’s FDA-approved won’t sell any customers, because every prescription drug needs FDA approval. Similarly, some brands settle with merely articulating the category of their product or service instead of the benefit to the customer. Have a doggy daycare center? Don’t claim it’s a “daycare facility for dogs.” Believe it or not, it won’t be the first doggy daycare we’ve seen. But a doggy daycare that promises a safely socialized and exercised dog? That sounds like a brand we could get behind.

3. Give Them What They Expect

This sounds counter-intuitive to the first point, but it’s not. Once you’ve identified “your thing,” stick with it. A clear and consistent message will resonate best with your customer. Be the “____ guys,” and continue to help your customer to identify your message with marketing and PR that supports it.

A useful check for consistency is to ask yourself if your new marketing assets, whether it’s an email blast, social media outreach, PR event or printed piece, could serve as “evidence” to your main message. For instance, the doggy daycare mentioned before might suffer from a brochure that says, “We’re cheap!” and a website and facility that stresses a holistic approach to dog care. Customers who are looking for cheap, average quality doggy day care will be disappointed by higher costs, and customers who want a happy, healthy and socialized dog will be turned off from trying it out.

4. Packaging

You might have the best product in the world, but if your packaging, logo, website and marketing materials could be carbon dated, your customer won’t care about who you are or what you do. People are assaulted by an estimated 5,000 advertisements in a normal day. If your visual aspects don’t grab the attention of your potential customer, your brand will be lost in the pandemonium.

Try for a fresh design that hits on your messaging. Take a look at what Desert Rose Design accomplished with Anthony Hardy’s Scotch Whisky brand in this month’s featured project.

5. Realize Brand Loyalty Is In Your Future

Here’s the thing: there is no perfect way to predict what your target customer wants. Despite attempts to hone in on your audience, their wants, their needs, and what they want to buy, market research often fails to realize the power of brand loyalty to predict behavior. It comes down to this: if customers love your brand, they will buy your product or service. If your customer has no brand loyalty, they will often surprise you with purchases that are not relevant with established buying patterns.

It has never been more important to build loyalty than during the age of rapid social media growth. Having an active fan and follower base will mean you can continue to send your brand message to your customers and increase their loyalty.

The future is looking bright. Contact Desert Rose Design today to get your brand reading at theskinny@desertrose.net.

Want more branding tips and tricks? Take a look at some of our recent blog posts below.

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Building a Powerful Brand Personality: A Beginner’s Guide