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It would be a big misunderstanding to say that the most popular brands can coast by on name recognition alone. Sure, we all know about the big names like Apple or Microsoft, but it certainly wasn’t always that way. If you were to take a step back to the 1970’s— when both companies were getting started—it’s unlikely that those names would have anywhere near the same level of recognition they do several decades later.
Likewise, your marketing company’s brand won’t be able to break into an industry with a name alone. These are the critical branding elements your marketing company needs.
Your brand needs to have a personality to give it an identity
The personality behind your brand is what ultimately helps shape its identity and memorability in the eyes of your audience. When new leads are interacting with your brand for the first time, the tone of your brand’s messaging can either attract or repel. Think of your brand as a person you enjoy interacting with on a regular basis—it could be a relative, friend, or significant other. What is it about the way they talk that keeps you engaged in the conversation? It could be their body language or even how they listen, rather than pulling the conversation in their favor.
With the right approach, here are three personality elements that your brand messaging can convey to its audience:
- Credible: you know what you’re talking about and aren’t trying to spread exaggerated information to convince people to believe in your brand.
- Attentive: you don’t just go on and on about all the wonderful things your brand can do. You take the time to truly listen to your audience and what their pain points and challenges are.
- Insightful: you’re a storyteller, when it comes to your brand messaging. It’s not just a point A to point B type of story, either; it digs deeper into the philosophy and inspiration behind your marketing company’s brand.
Ultimately, you want your brand’s voice to be expressed clearly through its personality. Some marketing companies—especially those in b2b—have difficulty breaking out of their professional, business voice. For some, it can be like the difference between how you interact with a close friend compared to a parent. However, sometimes a little lighthearted conversation can go a long way to establish a meaningful relationship between your marketing company’s brand and its audience. A conversational tone can help your brand feel human!
Your marketing company must outline a brand strategy with a clear focus
Without a well-thought-out strategy, your branding has little opportunity to grow, and your company won’t have a chance to adjust it when something goes awry. Focusing on a solid brand strategy helps you not only plan ahead with your messaging but also prepare your company for unexpected moments—such as a poor review or unfortunate social media mishaps. A strategy also keeps your marketing company from going overboard and trying to do too much with its brand messaging.
There will always be additional features that your brand can offer, but it becomes overwhelming and unrealistic to capitalize on all of them in your brand messaging. As an example, Google has mastered the art of branding very well. While Google has plenty of services—such as Gmail, Maps, Analytics, and its integration with YouTube—it is best known for its revolutionary search engine. This is where Google’s brand value truly shines—a feature that everyone, especially marketers and researchers, has used before.
These two critical branding elements can give your marketing company the right foundation to craft a powerful message and develop a branding strategy. For more branding insights, download thinkdm2’s Branding Truth or Dare eBook. Thinkdm2 is a digital marketing and branding agency in New Jersey that specializes in the professional services and technology industries.
