The American Marketing Association defines a brand as “A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”
Simply put, a brand at its very core answers the following questions:
- What is your company’s identity?
- What distinguishes your company from your competition?
- Who is your prospective clientele?
A company’s brand is all about perception. The customer’s perception of your company will be the primary driver that motivates them to support your business. Effective marketing tactics will garner the customer’s attention and lead them to you, but it will be the brand that closes the deal. A strong brand that resonates with the clientele will foster loyalty thus creating high retention.
The small businesses that clearly identify and define their brand will make a deeper connection with their audience and their marketing efforts will be far more successful than those who don’t.
This leads me to the question: What is your company’s brand? If you and all of your company’s employees aren’t able to clearly communicate the answer, try going back to the core of the company, the DNA.