Marketing Insight

How to create successful B2B branding

We see and absorb brands everywhere but we only notice some of them! Poor branding can be a source of failure in a crowded market. So, in the business-to-business (B2B) environment, how can you avoid making the most common mistakes when launching (or re-launching) your brand? Sarah West, Managing Director of B2B marketing experts Full Mix Marketing, shares some tips:

WHAT IS A BRAND?

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says: “Branding is what you want people to think about you when you’re not around”. Much more than just your name and logo, a brand is the impression you make on people and the reputation you develop - making successful branding critical for success.

KNOW YOUR BRAND INSIDE OUT

Before attempting any form of branding for your business, it is vital to get under the skin of your brand. What does your business stand for? What do you want people to remember about your business? Finding the answers to these questions can be time-consuming but stick with it because you’re laying the foundation for your future brand look and communication to be successful. Identifying that little golden nugget of what your brand is about is the first step.

FIND YOUR USP

Identifying a unique selling point (USP) is an important aspect of creating a brand. With competition everywhere, what is it that makes you different? If you can’t answer this question, you may struggle to stand out in a crowded market. In the motor industry, car brands often feature a slogan. Audi’s is “Vorsprung durch Technik” and BMW’s is “The Ultimate Driving Machine” – different in message and tone but each getting across their own reason why someone should buy their car – their USP!

MAKE IT CONSISTENT

One of the most common signs of poor branding is inconsistency. Once you have created a brand look, it needs to be consistent across every outlet, whether it’s your website, packaging or communication. It may be a good idea to create a set of brand rules – a document that states do’s and don’ts regarding, for example, font style, colours or tone of voice. Creating successful branding is a challenge – but pointless if your brand guidelines fall by the wayside when applying it across different channels.

MAKE IT MEMORABLE

Our lives are so busy, it would be impossible to remember every brand we come across. It’s therefore important to create a brand that is memorable for your potential customers. Some brands do this with colours – like Cadbury’s purple or Coca Cola red - which feature at a every customer touch point. Whether it’s B2C or B2B branding, this could equally be an interesting word, phrase or image that sticks in people’s minds. Anything you can do to maximise brand recall will ultimately increase your chances of being chosen.

DON’T BE A COPY-CAT

It’s tempting to copy the style of a brand you admire - perhaps to ride on their success! However, you will just end up making yourself less relevant and noticeable. Every human being on the planet is unique and the same principle should apply to brands. Each brand should have its own unique identity to stand out.

DON’T TRY TO BE SOMETHING YOU’RE NOT

A common trap that many brands fall into is portraying themselves as something they’re not. Brands like Innocent started a huge health trend. With messages like ‘nothing added’, there was suddenly a real emphasis on taking nasties out of things we consume. Consequently, many brands started to portray themselves in a way that matched this health ideal. The danger is losing sight of what your brand actually stands for and why consumers buy it.

MAKE IT EYE-CATCHING

In a busy world of brands shouting for attention, it is crucial to stand out from the crowd. Quite often, customers spend no more than a few seconds on their brand decision, so if you don’t catch their attention immediately, chances are you won’t. Thinking about your shopping experience in a supermarket is a good way to highlight just how many brands you are bombarded with. What would it take for you to notice something new? What would that brand need to do to be chosen by you? Whilst being seen is key, it’s important to stand out for the right reasons - a flashing neon logo may not be the answer! More help can be found at https://www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk/contact/