Hi lovelies,
Building a brand from the bottom up can take a lot of hard work and dedication, but it is important that you do so if you want to give your business the best chance of success. So, the last thing you want to happen, when you have built a brand is to put it in jeopardy.
Unfortunately, all it tasks is one mistake to put your brand in a bad light and it could be game over for your business. That’s why I’ve put together a list of some of the biggest mistakes that can cost your brand dearly. By knowing what they are, you can hopefully avoid them and build a successful brand for life…
Targeting too many demographics
You might think that it makes sense for you to target as many different people as possible because the more people you can convert, the more money your business will make and the more successful you will be, right? This is a strategy that rarely works well unless you’re selling something like cutlery that everyone needs.
When you try to chase too many different rabbits with your brand it can lead to an inconsistent message that might not turn anyone off from buying your stuff, but which also won’t exactly inspire the kind of devotion that brands like LV and Apple do. No, if you want your brand to be as successful as possible, you need to work out which demographic is likely to be most valuable to you and most enamored by your stuff and focus your marketing efforts on attracting them.
Offering a poor user experience
It doesn’t matter how amazing your products and services are, if you offer your customers a poor user experience (UX) they are probably not going to give your company a second look. These days, customers want to be able to buy things as quickly as possible with as little fuss as possible, and if they can’t do that, they will look to your competitors instead. That’s why you need to spend some decent money on ensuring your website is not only greatest to look at, but also intuitive to use on a range of devices. After all, branding is about way more than a cute logo and a killer strapline.
Poor customer service
On a related note, customers want to see good service from the businesses they choose to give their money to. If they can’t get through to the customer service team fast because you haven’t scheduled enough employees to work that day - something that scheduling software like this officer scheduling software and similar packages for other occupations can help with - or they are treated rudely when they do speak to someone about an issue, that is only ever going to reflect poorly on your brand and your PR will not be good. That’s why you need to use not only scheduling software,w but also Customer Relationship Management Software, and regular staff training to ensure that your brand is great when it comes to engaging with your customers.
Being fake
Authenticity is a big buzzword in the world of business, and with good reason. These days, customers are not content to buy from businesses that offer a good product at a fair price; they also want to do business with companies whose message they agree with and who they deem, to be honest, ethical, and authentic.
That’s why it is so important that you should take the time to work out what your brand’s values are. Once you have done this, you can ensure that everything your company does, and every message you put out, is aligned with your true values. If you send out mixed messages, you’ll look phony and no one will be interested. But if you stand for something and you stick to your message, the customers will come to trust you and your brand will be much more successful as a result.
Piggybacking on tragedy
One of the most tasteless marketing techniques employed by some brands in the modern age is tagging themselves onto a tragedy. For instance, some companies will use trending hashtags about terrorist attacks or other serious issues to advertise their products and services. This is an extremely tasteless thing to do and it should go without saying that any company that does this is likely to generate way more bad press than good, so even if they do get more attention in the short term, it will almost certainly backfire in the long term. This is probably something you would never do anyway, but it’s such a big branding mistake that I thought it was worth mentioning.
Intrusive ads
It doesn’t matter how good your ads and marketing campaigns are if consumers are constantly bombarded by them, and especially if they get more in your face each time, they are ultimately going to turn more people off than they turn on to your company. What starts off as a cute and fun ad can quickly become annoying and intrusive over time, so keep it fresh, advertise just enough and not too much, and keep trying new things if you want to avoid your marketing efforts being thought of as intrusive.
Trying too hard
Customers can always tell when a company is trying too hard to be cool or edgy or cute or whatever, and they are rarely impressed when they see it. So, although it is really good to try and develop a unique voice for your brand, don’t throw every cliche in or labor the point too much because it really could cost your brand dearly. Work out who you are as a company, find your voice, and then keep it as toned down as possible while still being interesting enough to hook people in, It can be a difficult line to walk, but you can work it out.
If you can avoid these branding mistakes, you stand every chance of developing a successful company with a name that is well known and regarded in all of the areas you operate.
