As your organization’s chief marketing communications officer, we challenge you to take an important and not as difficult step in the day-to-day management of sales communications and support activities. It’s time to find out what your brand identity is.
We will warn you that meeting this challenge can change the way that everyday communication takes place. So, buckle up and let’s get started.
First of all, if your business is like most B to Bs, you are probably paying homage to the logo you see every day when you walk down the lobby to your spacious and luxurious office. Or smile at the well-designed smart (even brilliant) literature you’ve worked so hard to produce and are receiving praise across the organization … and even with clients and prospects. Perhaps unknowingly, you have developed a strong perception of what that company’s brand represents. And that’s not all bad.
But, whether you have it or not is not the problem, actually. Most importantly, you can separate your own perceptions with the actual customer / potential customer perceptions of your brand identity.
Getting to the bottom of the brand
Here are some things we know about brand identity:
1. Brand identity is not just the reaction that one has, consciously or unconsciously, when he sees or hears about your company.
2. Brand identity includes the perceptions that customers / prospects have based on their interaction with each part of your company and also with each individual.
3. The brand identity can develop from rumors or the influence of third parties.
4. Brand identity can be altered, for better or for worse.
5. The brand identity lives and breathes.
6. Brand identity can be measured.
Stop! Let’s pause … we could go on forever. Let’s focus on n. 6 on our list:
Brand identity can be measured. Whether you have a hefty budget for market research or not, if you haven’t already, you should go through a simple process of analyzing what your identity is. And in what state is your brand? Of course, this will require you to survey key internal people (be sure to include sales reps and key C-level officials), customers, prospects, and even partners and suppliers. Anonymity will be required, but make sure you can identify which survey group the results are obtained from; This will be essential in your analysis.
Sample size
If you have the budget, survey at least 20-30 of employees, customers, prospects, and vendors / partners. If not, get at least 10 from each group.
Survey format
Ask open-ended questions that make respondents describe their experience with your business: what your business represents, strengths and weaknesses, higher value, lower value, and how they would define your business products / services. Lastly, ask them if they do business with your company. Also, ask why they do it or not.
Gap analysis
What you will likely determine from this qualitative research is that there is a gap between what internal responses reflect about your company or brand compared to what potential customers and customers perceive. You may find, for example, that your sales force perceives the brand as high-value, while potential customer responses are plagued with “too expensive” or “unresponsive.”
Whats Next?
Once you have identified trends or commonalities in responses from specific groups, identify areas for action. These will include two approaches: A) Leveraging areas of strength and B) Addressing areas of weakness that detract from the company’s vision of the brand.
By completing this simple analysis, your marketing communications planning is highly empowered to address brand identity issues and take positive, supportive steps to build and maintain your brand in the marketplace. And you will never get close to advertising, web design, internet marketing or web functionality, html emails, copywriting, direct mail, public relations, video production, or internal communication (see Make internal communication a priority) without considering the well-being of the brand. .
Opportunity: If you would like Danskin Creative Communication to assist you with this process, in the development of the marketing communication plan or with the execution of marketing initiatives, please contact us by phone or email.
