MANAGEMENT + SYSTEMS
dialogue with the customer that only stops when you can no longer be bothered to have something to say. A Brand Halo fits right around your company and displays
what you have to offer in the best possible light. If it’s polished correctly, you’ll have a strong brand. If it’s tarnished, guess what... your days in business could be numbered. What’s more, it really doesn’t matter whether you market
a product or a service, whether you’re selling canned drinks, running a hairdressing salon or providing financial services to your clients. Any manufacturer or service provider can build a strong brand.
“…branding is not exclusive to the business- to-consumer market…”
‘But’, you protest, ‘I’m in a business-to-business market.
I don’t just sell to one person, I have to persuade various executives throughout an organisation.’ So what? All this means is that you have to influence more people at the same time. But whatever position they occupy in that company you’re going after, they are still all human beings influenced by emotions, feelings and relationships. Believe me, branding is not exclusive to the business-to-consumer market even though some of the parameters may be different. Even a not-for-profit organisation can construct a powerful brand by using the Brand Halo approach.
A brand of EPIC™ proportions Your Brand Halo will be built upon four core components. They’re easy to remember if you use the mnemonic EPIC™:
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This article is an extract from ‘Branding your Business’, written by James Hammond, and part of the new Business Success series from Kogan Page. Until 1st
July 2011 Fastener + Fixing readers can enjoy
a special 25% discount on Branding your Business, plus two other titles in the Business Success series: Marketing your Business by John Westwood and Practical Financial Management by Colin Barrow. To place your order and ensure you obtain this exclusive
deal UK readers should simply call 01903 828503 and quote the code BB0511. International readers should email
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124 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 69 May 2011
If you don’t have emotion as an ingredient in your product or service, then you don’t have a brand, you have a commodity.
E P
I
stands for PERCEPTION. Emotions aren’t stirred or influenced by thin air. They are the result of sensory
stimulation arriving at the brain through the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Most small businesses focus only on the ‘sight’ sense, ignoring the power of the other four to really build a strong perception of the brand in the customers’ minds.
stands for INNOVATION. Being aware of the five senses is one thing. Coming up with novel ways of presenting sensory
information is something else. This is where your Brand Halo becomes your guiding light. All the important processes, systems and procedures will be documented in your Brand Halo manual, and employees will be given guidance on how to monitor and improve each customer Brand Reflection. Innovation is what keeps the brand alive and kicking. It gives longevity to an otherwise stagnant and outdated brand, and provides the freshness needed to keep your brand ‘top of mind’ when it comes to purchasing your type of product or service.
C
stands for COMMUNICATION. Why do you want to create an emotional brand? What is your purpose – and why should
your customers or supporters care, anyway? This is where your Brand Storybook comes into play. Using narratives that describe your business along with your aims and achievements, you can communicate emotional messages to your customers and your staff and use them to underpin the whole customer experience.
Brands, like growth, are not static. You can’t just create your
brand and leave it alone. People change. Society changes. Even cultural biases change. And your brand, if it is to reflect the kind of image that says ‘We know, we understand, we’re with you’, needs to be continually polished. Through your Brand Halo, built on the solid foundations outlined in this book, you can build a brand of EPIC proportions.
Branding: not a cover-stick for a spotty business A brand is not a short-term solution to building a business;
it’s a way of creating long-term competitive advantage. When you add value through a strong brand, your future income streams will be more secure. Your customers will keep coming back for more and you can capitalise on their support and enthusiasm to buy from you and your loyal and motivated workforce. This in turn means that you can provide a solid strategic base from which to develop new products and services, as well as to plan for expansion and growth.
stands for EMOTION. This is the key part of creating your powerful brand, upon which everything else will be built.
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