FEATURE GW
Building a Brand by Laura Handke
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hen you have something to sell, there’s nothing more important than brand recognition. As cattle producers, we all want our brand to resonate with our customers to provide a sense of pride and integrity. But how do we get there? Marketing is hard and building brand awareness is even harder. Rachel Cutrer, owner of Ranch House Designs, shared with this year’s Beef Improvement Federation Symposium guests that no matter where you start from – a 100-year-old brand or a new identity – building and maintaining a brand is a lot like a set of working pens. “You probably fall into one of three categories: You may have an old set of working pens that have been on the property since you inherited it, maybe your great grandpa built those pens. They are working, but they may not be able to do everything you need them to. Or, maybe you bought a piece of property and it came with a set of pens already on it. You didn’t have any say in the design and you’re figuring out which gates work and which ones don’t. And, finally, maybe you’re fortunate enough to be able to build your own set of pens from scratch. Design them the way you want and make them work for what you want to do. And maybe instead of pens we’re talking about a brand,” she says. A brand holds value. It is the representation of what you produce, how you produce it, and your commitment to your customers. Cutrer says that when she begins a new conversation with a client about branding, there are a series of steps that she uses to lead the creation of the brand. The first step is always brand focus. “Generally, there’s two types of brand focus. The first being a people-driven brand,” she says of the customerfirst branding model. “The product-driven brand would be exactly the opposite, and in the cattle business, that would probably mean focusing only on the attributes of your cattle. Our goal, as producers, should always be to bring a little bit of both to a brand.” Step number two looks at the different ways to identify and then target a group of people that care about what your brand stands for. To do this, Cutrer leads clients through a persona building activity to help them
hone-in and develop personas for the different sectors of their business. “You actually mark it down and create a semifictitious representation of your ideal customer,” she says. “So for example, a persona might be ‘Jim,’ and ‘Jim’ is coming into your feedstore every Saturday and buying a couple bags of feed to take home to his ranch. He’s going to buy a few small items, but he’s going to do it regularly.” Next, identify age, interest, income, and any other identifying characteristics to help further pinpoint the persona. All of this information plays an important role not only in defining who the customer is but in defining and building a strategy around how to reach this customer. Once your focus and customer base is defined, step three looks at crafting your story to share the message that connects with your brand’s focus and customer. “You’re creating a message that’s going to connect with that customer you just personified. So, what are the top three messages that you would want someone to think about when they think about your business,” she asks. A brand’s story isn’t just about the words on the website or marketing collateral. Photos and graphics are the front-line storytellers for any website, brochure, or catalog. Think about the last piece of literature you consumed, whether written or digital. Do you gravitate toward copy or graphics? Arguably, time is our most precious commodity, so if a graphic or photo can do the job of 500 words, most of us are inclined to let it. The four most important elements of brand design are color, slogan, logo, photography and, most importantly, how you marry those four elements together to visually tell your story. The final step is choosing the most effective vehicle to deliver the culmination of the other three steps. How will you “spread the word” about your brand and the services and products it represents? “To me, this is where marketing and brand building become fun. This is where you can really get your message out there and get your customers to interact with you,” Cutrer says. F
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