“What’s the personality of your company?” asked Monica Skipper, marketing manager for FedEx Global Brand Management (July 19). “Whether we’re referring to our corporate identity, global shipping services or business products, this question is always top of mind at FedEx. Answering this question in a clear, concise way is vital to establishing any successful brand.”
Also, as a wireless retailer who is actively engaging with your customer base via social networks like Facebook and Twitter, it is imperative that your brand personality makes a memorable impact.
Skipper suggests keeping these four basic branding points in mind:
1. Make it relevant and meaningful. “When selecting brand elements, don’t shy away from critical thinking. Make decisions based on your products, your target audience and your mission, rather than personal taste alone. Dig deep, examining your brand with an open mind. Work to understand your customers’ needs and align your brand message with those needs.”
Wireless retailers needn’t look any further than recent research to determine customer needs. Last fall, the Wharton School of Business identified “brand experience” and “engagement” as keys to meeting customer needs, which include: exciting store design, high product quality, “getting a deal,” as well as polite, helpful and knowledgeable service.
2. Keep it simple. “Meaning and simplicity go hand in hand,” Skipper writes. “Maybe you’ve selected a particular shape, in a particular shade of blue, to help communicate your brand. That might be enough to create a lasting impression without adding another color to the palette, or another symbol to the mix. Like any good artist, a great brand builder knows when to stop.”
3. Image is everything. “After you’ve shared your brand with the world, it’s best to stick with it for a significant length of time. This will give customers a chance to remember – and eventually connect with – your brand identity. So choose your logo, your fonts and colors with care. Are you going for a business persona that’s fun, serious, modern, retro, or all of the above? Do your homework on the latest design principles and plan your image accordingly.”
For wireless retailers, it makes sense to go for a lively, youthful and modern approach, given that you’re selling multimedia devices that connect people through voice, text messages, applications and social networks.
4. Consistency is crucial. “Once you’ve determined the set of standards, or ‘style guide,’ for the writing and design of your business materials, it’s best to adhere to those standards in everything from advertising to business cards. Consistency is what separates the professionals from the amateurs, so it’s important to express and deliver on your brand message in a consistent way. Repetition is reputation, after all.”
Because you sell communicative devices, you need to make sure your brand messaging fits the culture. For example, on your company Facebook or Twitter page, your brand should be seen as creative, witty, interesting, fun and knowledgeable – whatever image you want your store to have. These are personality traits that people look for in their social network “friends,” so they are a means of building relationships… relationships that lead to sales.
- newsletter@iQmetrix.com
* To read more Branding and Marketing Tips, check out the following articles from iQmetrix News & Views:
Marketing your Wireless Business on YouTube
Growing Market for Location-based Ads and Mobile Coupons
Do You Sell the Network or the Device?
Robert W. Bly: 10 Ways to Stretch Your Marketing Budget
Using Media Coverage to Promote Your Business