Branding is very essential when it comes to setting up a business. It is a means through which your customers see and value your business. Branding is the tool used to reflect your company’s personality. Thing is, what is the right type of branding for your business? Different companies have different strategies that would work best for them. Here are a few types of branding that your company can choose from.
Product Branding
When you think about Starbucks, you would immediately think of good coffee, great service, and a cozy atmosphere to be in. This is because of its product branding success. Successful branding causes a person to choose your business over another because of your brand. For example, having a distinct and memorable logo would immediately allow the customer to think of your business and brand. And when you manage to associate your brand with high-quality service and products, customers will roll right in.
Corporate branding
This type of branding focusses more on the business’ reputation and this brand is done by cultivating a name for the entire corporation. As such, when the public sees the name of the business, they would immediately associate it with the services that are being provided, its credibility, and its good reputation. Having good corporate branding is good for the long run. This is because, as mentioned earlier, the company would have garnered more trust from their loyal customers and the public who would be more inclined to purchase their new products.
Personal Branding
This is done for individual purposes that are not associated with bigger companies. This is especially useful for celebrities, influencers, and politicians who wish to receive a good reputation from the public. To do this, turning to social media would be a great idea. The advantage of using social media is that it allows the individual to engage with his fans or potential clients. There is the ability to reach out to wider audiences while on a personal platform. This also allows you to form a bond or relationship with your followers who will be more than happy to support you and your brand.
Co-Branding
As the name suggests, two or more companies’ brands can come together in the form of a partnership with the intention of creating a brand with the same product and services. An example would be Nike and Apple. Nike knows that people enjoy listening to music and tracking their progress while running. As such, they partnered together with Apple to make this happen. The footwear line Nike+ was developed and Apple had a microchip created to fit in the shoes to allow their customers to track their progress through their Apple devices such as the iPhone.
Online Branding
How would you brand yourself when on the Internet? That is what you should think about when you want to do online branding. Would it be through website creation, having a blog, or an active social media account that actively posts and interacts with the people? All these posts that happen under your name online are online branding.
Offline Branding
This is branding that happens outside the web. Although online branding is becoming increasingly common these days, traditional, on-the-ground branding efforts are still very effective. They include the use of business cards or reaching out to clients through roadshows. All these require you to have good graphic designers and spokespeople who are able to create and speak well to represent your brand.
Service Branding
Ensuring that your customers have the best services and gain the most satisfaction out of what your company can provide for them is very good for your brand. Service branding happens when customers feel like your staff and company have gone out of their way to ensure that they are well taken care of. That becomes your selling point. It could be in the form of providing customers with refreshments when they meet you for meetings or having a hotline service that is always ready to serve.
Geographical Branding
Companies that work in the tourism industry usually turn to this method of branding. Geographical branding targets the unique areas and uses it as their selling point. They then try to get you to come and visit that unique place. This can be seen in countries that claim that a certain type of food is their own, for example, Japan’s Kobe beef. Or they interest you into visiting the Egyptian pyramids as you can not find them anywhere else.
Activist Branding
If there is a cause that you firmly believe in, you can use that in your brand strategy. Also known as conscious branding, it is a way in which your brand strives to make a positive impact that helps your cause. This method of branding can help shed a positive light on your business as people will be able to appreciate what you are doing and support you. What’s more, there are bound to be many people who care about the same beliefs and would, therefore, be a potential supporter to your brand as well.
Ingredient Branding
Highlighting the achievements or benefits of a specific ingredient or a few that can be found within your product is sure to draw an audience. Take for example SKII, they are known for their formulas being very effective on the skin and hence have a loyal following, especially among women.
Minimalist Branding
In doing this, you are assuming that your product itself is good enough to gain the attention that it needs to succeed. This means that you do not have any jingles or other methods used to try and gain an audience.
Hopefully, this information will help you have a better idea of what kind of branding you want to have for your company. It is also good to remember that you should first understand the nature of your company and what it wants to achieve. Next, decide on how you want to accomplish your form of branding and excel at it! Trial and error is the way to go to find out what will work for your business.