Marketing Manner

Developing the right brand means knowing yourself and your business. Sure, you can develop a logo, print business cards, and other corporate identity items, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your brand is noticeable. A memorable brand has character, plain and simple. And although packaging and promotional items need to reinforce your brand, they cannot not be correctly developed without knowing who you are. With this in mind, take some much needed time to answer some important questions about you:

1. What Strengths Do You Have?
Think of all of the benefits you bring to your clients and your own working environment. Are you hard-working? Do you work overtime to get a project done on time? Maybe you are able to notice the nit-picky details in a project. Write down as many strengths as you can think of – you may even need to keep an ongoing list for a couple of days.

2. What Weaknesses Do You Bring to the Table?
No, it’s not fun to expose your flaws, but it’s a necessary part of knowing yourself. An honest brand has faced its weaknesses and continually strives to improve in those areas. Maybe you are a procrastinator, often leaving work to the last minute and as a result create something that’s less than you are capable of. Or you may have poor communication skills, often resulting in confusion as to what clients expect of you.

A Personal Example
I sat down and asked myself these same questions. Here’s what I came up with:

• Strengths – I am hard-working and dedicated. I pay great attention to details, so my editing skills are top-notch. My work is enjoyable to me. I have built up lots of experience and have an impressive portfolio. I have the education to back the experience. I have high standards for excellence. I am open and honest with clients, yet am able to maintain a proper level of professionalism.
• Weaknesses – I often take too long to complete my work because of my perfectionism and sometimes miss deadlines because of this. I tend to underestimate my abilities. I hate talking on the phone to clients and avoid it at all costs.

Incorporating Character into Your Brand
Now that you know your strengths and weaknesses, it’s time to take a look at your packaging and promotional materials. Put your personality into your brand and package and promote accordingly.

Packaging
Take me for example; because of my level of expertise and education, I can charge middle to high end costs, depending on the type of project. I can also guarantee high quality results because of my perfectionism, but I definitely shouldn’t put the focus on meeting deadlines, since I have a tendency to miss them. This is where honesty comes into play. I can assure clients that they’ll get a high quality product but it may be several hours late, such as ready in the middle of the night, rather than by the close of the business day. My packaging materials, such as my logo, business cards, and stationery printing, should reflect this detail-oriented, quality offer, as well as my honesty and openness.

Promotion
As with packaging, promoting my own business should take into account the top benefits I offer to clients. In addition, being aware of my flaws when promoting my brand will help me better prepare for any controversy that may arise. For instance, if I plan a marketing campaign advertising excellent customer service, I’d better be willing to choke down my fear of phone conversations. Another flaw that could affect the promotion of my brand is my underestimation of my abilities. If I’m not careful, this could seep into my brand and clients may begin view me as low end, when I’m actually very good at what I do. Therefore, I have to pay special attention to incorporating a confident tone in my promotional materials.

A brand that has character is one that will be more impressive and memorable. Rethink the message that you are sending to insure that your clients know exactly where you stand. A well-developed brand is the key to loyal customers and long-term growth, so any time you spend on strengthening the character of your brand will be well worth it.

Category: Branding, Business Cards, Design, Graphic Design by admin