Sunday 21 December 2014

Implementing Effective Product Branding Strategies To Stay On Top Of Competition

By Stacey Burt


Today's business world is very competitive and only allows those who take steps to stay ahead of the competition to survive. Good product branding strategies enable a business to stay ahead of others in the competition. The term "product branding" usually describes what is produced or service the company wants to communicate and for whom this communication is intended. It also considers when this communication is supposed to get to the target of communication and how this is supposed to be done.

The structure of product branding communication must be consistent all the time, whether for internal or external audiences. Consistency gives employees of the business a better understanding of the brand being projected. Customers would also be able to identify the message with the brand because of the consistency in its structure.

An emotionally appealing message about the brand works well. This is because many people buy products they have "good feelings" about. An emotionally appealing message would give these customers a "good feeling" about the business and bring in many more customers.

Everybody likes to be appreciated, and so do customers, especially when they have stuck with the brand for a while. These customers have spent a considerable amount of time with the product and have also helped market it in terms of recommending it to their friends and family. Giving such customers little thank-you presents would be a way of encouraging them. These presents can be in the form of product branded gifts or simple messages or calls to let them know the business appreciates their commitment to the product brand.

Helping customers with extra services that they do not have to pay for is also a great principle to consider in product branding. A brand is not just the company logo or the catchy name; it is customers that make a brand. The branding strategy, if blended well with the mission statement of the business helps because this statement is usually customer oriented. A retail shop selling electronic equipment, for example, can make customers happy by providing a customer care line that is tollfree.

The fact that a branding strategy was well planned before rolling out does not mean it will work. Measurements should be taken of the various marketing metrics to know if the strategies are working or not. These metrics should be measured before the implementation of the strategy, as well as periodically after implementation to see how effective they have been. This would alert the business to any progress being made and whether it is time to re-strategize.

Flexibility is one principle to follow when looking at a branding strategy. Marketing trends change all the time, and such changes do not necessarily require re-strategizing. A small modification should be adequate. A marketing strategy should be versatile in a way that it can be interpreted in several forms to suit the various target groups.

It is also important to keep competing brands in sight while developing branding strategies. The business and its competitors are all after the same customers, so watching what competitors are doing differently can help the business strategize better. In spite of this, a business should not blindly copy whatever the competitors do.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment