Brand development is the strategy of creating a unique name, logo, and symbol to differentiate a business or product from others in the market. Branding goes beyond logos and symbols though. Brand development is all about creating a lasting image on customers and potential customers. It is what you want your customers to say about you; their impression of you. Your brand is your personality. It is influenced by how you look and everything you do. The colours of your website, the way you deliver your products, how your Christmas card looks, it is all a part of your brand.
If you create a brand that is distinct from others, it will make you noticeable and will ensure you last longer in the memories of potential customers. Brand development involves continuously making a promise and fulfilling that promise. You continue to do this to the point where customers know what to expect from you. When this happens, you have earned their trust. When customers can trust your brand,they will stay loyal to you. When you do this with great success, you gain customers who will spend more to buy what you sell.
The resources and effort you put into building your brand will determine how much value your customers will attach to it. Proper branding not only attracts customers to your product or service, it raises the value of your product or service. Your brand creates an expectation. There is something a customer expects when they pick up your product or use your service. They can only know what to expect from the image you constantly put in front of them. It does not matter how much you spend on marketing and advertising your product, your business can still be made or marred by your staff. The people who work for you have a lot to do with how your brand is perceived.
Branding is too important to be left undone. Your business has a brand whether you consciously build one or not. Take control of your brand by deciding how you want to be perceived and constantly putting out that message.