Thursday 25 December 2014

Implementing Effective Product Branding Strategies To Stay On Top Of Competition

By Stacey Burt


Competition in the business world is normal, and those who wish to survive must work harder. One of the tools that a business can use to gain a competitive advantage is having good product branding strategies. Communicating the information on a product has to be done in a manner that it captures the correct information that is intended for the target audience. This strategy also considers the who, the when and the why of the communication.

Consistency is one quality that can keep a product brand on top of the competition. Every communication that goes on within and outside the business should be structured in a way that helps explain better the brand of the business. This would especially help employees better understand the brand they are working for and their roles in projecting the brand.

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.

Rigidity is a characteristic that should not be shown by a good branding strategy. In the current business environment, trends change day-in, day-out, and a good strategy should be able to accommodate these changes. The strategy has to be that small modifications to the branding message can be made for different 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.




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