Firstly, understanding the term “branding” is significant! So, in simple words, branding is a marketing practice where a strong, positive perception about the product/service is created in the minds of the clients with the thought of defining the entire brand. This is definitely a difficult task initially as defining your agenda & what inspired you to start the venture tells a story of its own.
Today you can learn a couple of things which one must avoid (as a marketer), as no wonder, the following could turn out to be huge mistakes for your brand!
1) No Research
Several times, when there is less or no research involved, the brand suffers. Remember branding is that marketing practice that should be the priority at first. Understand market trends, what’s in demand & what the audience generally is searching for. Surveys could aid as an effective tool to help you know what the dos & don’ts can be while fashioning an article/item.
2) Confusing the Logo & Brand
The logo & the brand’s identity both should go hand in hand. As much as the logo is the first impression of the brand, the brand & the products are far more important! The logo shouldn’t be hidden neither the logo should be solely the center of attention that the products don’t remain the main attraction.
3) Understand Your Target Audience
Though you can incorporate your personal opinions & likings, it would be astute to base your brand on a thoughtful strategy that focuses on competitive advantage, target audience & what they expect of you. Your very potential customers are the ones who will either cheer you up or boo you off stage, so in whatever manner you speak to your dear audience that is what determines how they’ll react to your new collection. Hence it’s supremely important that you say the right thing (slogans/or via ads), in the right way & at the right moment!
4) Inconsistency
One thing that can tarnish the brand’s image is not being regular. Inconsistency can lead to numerous dilemmas. The approach is applicable everywhere from updating your website from the back end to being active on the social media handles because inconsistency showcases a late back, casual approach which won’t be acceptable by the masses for long.
5) No Business Plan
Frequently, when start-ups begin their business journey, the goals & business plan are not accurately defined! Very soon complications arise – whether it’s in the accounts department, quality control, or even how the social media should be used! Being organized about each & every step means you’d know when to put posts on social media, with what captions, what filters & color scheme to carry forward with! Because when too much is going on, it rather seems to head forward with no theme & no idea in mind. In turn, it affects the logo & the aesthetics majorly!
6) Cheap Routes
Often, when people with zero experience commence on with their new venture, they show traits of a miser by opting for cheap alternative routes. This could be evident from bad quality raw material being used to pathetic packaging to no photoshoots; instead, some use images copying them from various search engines. Here, things can horribly go wrong if there’s no standard set & when cutting corners matter.
