This follows on from A is for Authenticity… you haven’t read it yet? Go on then, I’ll wait…
Ready? Then I will begin!
So you’ve got your authentic brand, you know who you are and that people will have a consistent experience when they get in touch with you. Very well done. Now you need to ensure your branding is effectively communicating.
Often products and services from different organisations aren’t widely different. The branding needs to clearly tells your potential customer, donor or service user which one is for them.
Branding allows customers to choose the organisation, item or service which shares their values, or shows the world the values they want to portray.
Let’s use shampoo as an example of this, as it happened to me in real life! I vividly remember standing in the shampoo aisle in CVS in America looking at the packaging in front of me in complete bewilderment wondering which was ‘right’ for me. I had no cultural knowledge in order to choose which one was right for my mid-length, greasy, blond hair!
So how did I decide?
I read the names of the products to find what I was looking for.
I recognised some of the logos and applied what I knew about their other products to these shampoos.
I checked out the design to see which looked good quality and appealed to me.
I looked at the prices, applying the crude methodology that more expensive meant better and also thinking of my budget.
Did any have a promotion running, where I got a free conditioner maybe?
I looked at its position on the shelves, knowing that eye level meant most popular or that they’d paid for a prime spot.
I recognised some of the industry icons like ‘Not tested on animals’ which were important to my personal values.
I asked my American friend for her recommendation and which one’s I should avoid.
All of this decision-making probably only took a couple of minutes. People assimilate so much complex information and make quick decisions based on branding.
But how does this apply to you if you are a charity or provide a service?
It’s unlikely you’re the only person or organisation doing what you do. But the good news is you’re the only one doing it how you do it.
So how can you ensure your branding says the right thing about you?
When we start a new brand or a rebrand we look at all the different ways people try and decode what your brand says about you:
Name – Does it say what you do? If your name isn’t clear should you change it or do you need a strapline to clarify what you do?
Logo – Is it clear and different enough from your competitors? Does it establish your style – welcoming, professional, modern etc? Is it used consistently on everything you do so that people can learn to recognise it?
Design – Do you have a design style that is consistent? Does it communicate how you want to be perceived? Are your photos real rather than stock images? Do you have clear visuals to bring your services to life?
Price – How do you compare to other services like yours? If you’re cheaper is it easy to see why, so people don’t worry they’re getting a second-class service? If you’re more expensive can you justify it? Do you have extra systems and processes which give the customer a better outcome or do you use premium quality suppliers? Make sure you tell people.
Position – Where do you sit in the market? Exactly who is your target audience and how many do you have? Charities often have users, supporters and influencers, as well as staff and volunteers. They all need the right key messages where they are likely to look. Don’t forget your existing clients too. Are you communicating with them regularly to help them understand the range of services you provide?
Promotion – Are there certain times of year where you need to stimulate demand because it’s a quiet time of year? Could you offer something of genuine value in addition to a usual service, rather than just discounting?
Values – Make sure all the visual cues and industry icons are clearly there which will help people identify that you have shared values!
Recommendation – What are people saying about you? Ask new customers how they heard of you to see if word of mouth is working for you and getting you more customers. But also ask for testimonials and create case studies. New customers are really reassured by reading about other people who’ve had a great service from you. Make sure you’re shouting about how great you are, otherwise how will people know!
Have a think about all the above parts of your branding – anything you want to review or change?
Remember the brand iceberg in the last blog? We’ve had a quick look at what people think (under the water) and what they see (above the water). Come back in a fortnight for our next blog in the A-Z of Brand series as we start to dig a bit deeper…
Now read C is for Consistency
Jo Grubb
JG Creative Consultancy