Having a strong brand improves your return on investment, makes you less vulnerable to competitors entering your space and supports long-term business performance. When you stand out from the crowd and genuinely connect with your target customers, you increase sales, drive loyalty, gain pricing power and lift your valuation. Building a strong brand starts with understanding your points of difference, knowing what is most relevant to your customers and using branding to capitalise on it.
What is your point of difference?
A strong brand is built on a point of difference that is meaningful to your customers. This can show up in many ways: brand identity, features and benefits, packaging, service, or tone of voice. Successful businesses have a clear point of difference that gives them a competitive advantage. It helps them naturally stand out and connect with their target customers in a relevant, unique and authentic way.
What is most relevant?
Branding efforts struggle when they do not focus on what matters most to the customer. You need to understand what is genuinely relevant to your audience. Is it quality, speed of delivery, service experience, or price? Or something more specific, such as the materials used, the purchasing experience or the relationship with the sales team?
Businesses that do not understand what is most relevant risk spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on branding that is flawed from the start.
One of our manufacturing clients came to us for help refreshing their brand. They believed product quality was the single most important factor for their customers. We challenged that assumption. Through a workshop process we found that while quality was expected, speed of delivery was the real differentiator. We then repositioned the brand around speed of delivery as a core promise. Since then they have accelerated growth, gained new customers and retained existing ones.
Relevance can change over time, as it did for this client. Businesses need to keep watching the market and their audience to ensure their brand focus stays relevant and anchored in a true point of difference.
Building a brand
A relevant point of difference needs to be communicated clearly. It is not enough to be different. People need to understand how you are different and why it matters to them.
Effective branding creates a distinct image in the minds of customers, making it easier for them to recognise and remember you. This builds brand awareness and loyalty, which in turn drive sales and revenue.
Our Specialists support businesses across several key areas:
- Understanding your business and key customers
- Defining the brand with a relevant point of difference
- Creating a visual identity
- Communicating the brand through appropriate channels
- Delivering consistently on the brand promise
- Continuously evaluating progress and return on investment
Creating a strong brand that is relevant to customers takes time and ongoing effort, but it is what allows you to stand out and generate a stronger return on investment. Talking to the right customers, in the right way, through the right channels is essential for driving sales and long-term value.
We can help you with that.
To book a free consultation with one of our Marketing Specialists, click here.