I see several common brand-building mistakes that are made by both large organizations and start-ups.
The budget often does not prevent the mistake from being made. More often than not, it’s based on the culture and mindset towards building a brand that leads to these mistakes.
These tend to severely limit their potential, the rate at which they grow, and whether or not they even survive!
The end result is often, failed marketing tactics, with a low return on investment, frustrated business owners, and a general sense of distrust towards the expertise of Marketing & Branding.
Here I cover some of the most common mistakes I’ve encountered.
Too much focus on the logo
Every single Brand Strategist must have heard the line
“We just want a logo”….
at least once in their career.
Time and time again, businesses make the mistake of believing that their logo IS their brand. A pretty, flashy, colorful, or savvy logo, won’t increase sales on its own. The logo - is not the be-all and end-all of brand building. Your brand must be backed by a solid, clear, and defined brand strategy. On that note….let’s get to mistake #2
Ignoring Brand & Business Strategy
Marketing tactics are very often mistaken as branding. Posting on a social media platform is not a strategy. Even the dates, times, and frequency of publishing content, are not included as an element of Brand Strategy - but fall into the arena of tactics. A clear brand strategy ties into a business plan, with an overarching objective. It’s not uncommon to find businesses attempting to build a brand without consideration of the entire business model, and its objectives. Brand and Business strategy go hand in hand, and cannot exist in isolation - in fact, when they are present the synergistic growth is enhanced!
No real differentiator or brand value.
Your brand is born to stand out. It’s meant to be remembered, not to blend in, or fade into the background or become commoditized - unless of course, that’s what you’re going for.
Without a clear differentiator and unique selling proposition, your brand is not an option for choice. Nike would be just another shoe if it was not for solid brand differentiation. Brand distinction removes your product from the universe of generic and allows you to attach prices that are premium or higher than commodity prices.
Not separating personalities from the Brand
This is a biggie!
What management or owners like, may not necessarily be what’s best for the brand. Too often business owners insert too much weight of their own preferences into a brand’s identity and in turn the marketing content. It’s also very common to think that “they” are the consumer, and know exactly how the consumer thinks, without a clear understanding of the buying process or the data to support it. When business personalities are too ingrained into the business, several problems occur.
These include
An inability to delegate
A sense of needing to micromanage the business
An overworked, underpaid business owner, with an increased chance of burnout.
Challenges in growing and scaling the business.
An undefined Customer Profile
Customers are bombarded by more marketing messages now, more than ever. Businesses are also exposed to the widest audiences ever in the history of commerce!
This often leads to the common mistake of trying to target too many different categories and consumer profiles….basically trying to be everything to everyone - instead of trying to be everything to a select few.
A too broad audience reduces the chances of hitting the mark with consumers, and a too narrowed consumer profile can mean missing the point of connection. In the end, the value, purpose and problem solving ability of the brand becomes very grey - leading to low sales, and even lower customer retention.
Are you, or anyone you know making these grave mistakes in your business?
Catching these errors early, allow for the business to right its course, get back on track for a positive growth trajectory!
