This is what branding is

• 1. Branding is all about value add.

Branding is a promise, a guarantee you are offering your clientele. When you are shining shoes like Rashid in the shop next to you; what value is your service adding that will make people choose you over Rashid other than your great personality?

Do you catch my drift? Place your company name in the “Brand’ column, and ask yourself what promise or guarantee does your company offer your customers? You also need to note that this guarantee is not only one on paper. Your product or service needs to deliver through and through. If not, you will make your competitor the happiest businessman alive.

• 2. Branding is Targeted

There is one statement that really irritates me when I speak to clients. When I ask them who their target audience is and their response is “Everyone”. This is why that is not humanly possible.

What kind of music do you like? What kind of music do your parents like? What kind of music do your kids like? And to be specific, what kind of music does your toddler, pre-teen and teenager like? See what I mean? I love Soul, Classical Music, Rhumba and Bob Marley and The Wailers, but if you brought me Mr. Vegas Music or Genge I would throw it in your face. Yet I have peers who live and die by Genge and Mr. Vegas. As you can see, you could be of the same age, income range but cultural tastes will vary.

You need to guide your brand on who it really needs to be speaking to. The more precise you become in choosing your target audience, the more precise your clientele is. And you finally know how to communicate with them. And by communicating with them, that means you know where they hang out, how they speak, the kind of clothes they wear, the car they drive, if they drive at all, their marital status and age etc. And when you have that, you can be more effective in your marketing and visual appeal and that is evident on your website and social media strategy.

• 3. Branding Knows its place

A good brand stands out well. If it was a person, when it walked in the room you noticed them. They have the ‘IT’ factor. It isn’t like the drunk at the sophisticated cocktail party, dressed in ripped jeans and a vulgar t-shirt falling over people, obnoxious and lecherous and barfing on the waiter and demanding more hors d’oeuvres.

If your brand is specific, you will push it in the right mediums. If your brand is all about party and youth, then you might find yourself pushing on Snap Chat, Instagram and other social media platforms that suit it. If you are more interested in more peer to peer professional engagement then LinkedIn might be your first stop. If you want attention, Twitter is great place to cause a stir, #KOT is always itching to chip in. If you want mature audience with purchasing power Facebook could be ideal. You can buy ads on the medium in a much targeted manner.

But before you jump to the social media sites, there is one avenue you can never go wrong, a Blog. A blog is a fun journal of your insight and experience as a brand. You can use this to share of yourself with your target audience. It is one of the richest pulls to your site. Blogs personify business. They allow your target clientele to take time to get to know you. You earn their trust. And when you earn their trust, you slowly win their loyalty. And that is what you want.

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