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Avoid these Pitfalls & Keep Your Brand Valuable
There are a few things that can dramatically reduce the value of and often cheapen a brand.
These areas, or ‘pitfalls’ as we call them, are often missed causes of diminishing a brand. Commonly they become fatal if they are not tamed, or at the very least, addressed.
The first pitfall we want to call out is inconsistency.
Many businesses often miss this item, and businesses mustn’t forget its impact on a buyer’s decision to purchase.
Inconsistencies in a brand can exist in many forms. Inconsistently presenting a brand to its audience or speaking about a brand in too many different ways are the most common.
The text represented on a website could be different than what gets presented to a customer on a flyer.
Verbiage, slogans, headlines are often misspelled or portrayed differently in different places. Uppercase, lowercase, colors, icons, and tones all too often get presented in many different formats.
This notion of inconsistency can come across as lazy, or unclear, and even worse, offensive to would-be customers.
not having a clear direction or mission presented within your work is THE SECOND PITFALL WE WANT TO DISCUSS.
By not having a set forth path, audiences don’t understand the business’s intentions.
Some businesses have a mission statement, but they often don’t communicate what it is.
It is vital to show your prospective customers why you got into business in the first place. It is just as essential to illustrate how you carry out that mission on a day-to-day basis.
Be clear about why you do what you do, and do not be ashamed of representing that in your communication to your potential clients.
For example, if you are getting ready to send out holiday mailers, make it a point to call out your mission statement in your text in the upfront portion of your flyer.
“We got started to help you grow and benefit from the fruits of your work…”
Not having a tone in your vocabulary, copy, and letters to customers and prospects…
Is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure and is another pitfall.
What is a tone, you ask?
It’s real simple. Businesses present themselves in a way to their customers. A tone is a voice or the sound that they carry to their customers. Some are funny, some are professional, while some are blunt or sarcastic.
There are many different tones your business could carry. The best one depends on what your audience expects or what you have found to work best for your customers.
Tone can be presented over time in material or story or represented upfront in characters, mascots, or language.
There are many ways to establish a tone with your audience and ultimately deliver a clear branding message that is on point and captures their attention.
The bottom line, running marketing campaigns without a tone is like a rudderless ship.
lack of incentive is a killer.
This pitfall is the final one we want to cover. Unfortunately, gets missed by so many businesses. No wonder many customers walk away because of it.
You know those businesses you go to, buy something and think to yourself, “I wonder why they don’t have a loyalty program.”?
If you have a retail business and don’t offer a loyalty program, chances are your customers are thinking the same thing.
Most people in retail expect loyalty programs by now, and businesses that don’t implement one are missing out on conducting more business than not having one in place.
Loyalty programs encourage more buying and often are a reason for referral business. So, consider instituting one if you have not already. Don’t keep charging without giving something back.
An incentive could be many things. It could be a discount, or it could be a reward or high-quality service.
It depends on your audience and customers what incentives work best, but you are missing out and will likely lose out on future business without something.
Incentives can be a reason for more business if you deliver carefully and get creative.
Good luck instituting some of these concepts within your business if you don’t have them already. If you do, great work!
If you ever need help implementing any of these (or other) marketing principles, please do not hesitate to contact us.