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The 14 Biggest Branding Mistakes

By Ed King

1. Relying on the product or service to "sell itself"

Your company may have the best product and service package since sliced bread, but if nobody knows about them, it hardly matters. Word-of-mouth only takes you so far. To truly grow your company, you must put in place a strategic marketing plan that identifies and analyzes the target market and competition, articulates your value proposition, and sets forth a tactical plan for branding your company and marketing your products and services.

2. Failure to differentiate

You can paint your product red instead of the standard blue, but that's only being different. To differentiate yourself from competitors means basing your company on a solid foundation-a concept like extraordinary customer service in an industry that lacks it. Your base concept should be apparent to employees and your target market in all your messaging. Consistently pursued, differentiation will help to firmly imprint your brand in your prospects' minds.

3. Not being truthful in your marketing

Bad news travels fast. If you can't deliver what was promised in your ads and other messaging, you can bet that your customers will let their friends know about it. So if you can't live up to the claims made in your marketing communications, change your claims. Truth in advertising is more than a cliché; it's a rule for success in any business.

4. Failure to integrate all forms of marketing

Studies show that multiple impressions from different media motivate a prospect to buy more effectively than the same number of impressions from one medium. You must shower your prospect with a strategically deployed combination of print, direct mail, a Web site, telemarketing, aggressive public relations, and sales presentations-all communicating a consistent branding message. The combined impact will be golden to your bottom line.

5. Inconsistent and ineffective corporate identity

Using a piece of clip art with your company name printed in a standard font just won't deliver the impact a professionally- designed logo does. And, corporate identity programs involve more than just a logo. A successful program involves researching your industry, your company, and your competitors, and developing a unique value proposition for your company, its products, and services. The result is a distinctive, relevant and easily identified corporate identity that conveys your company's vision, values, prominence, and personality.

6. Presenting with poor (or no) visuals

The human brain retains a visual image much longer than a mass of verbiage. A presentation that incorporates graphics and multimedia elements such as animation, audio, and video stays with prospects far longer than do presentations with text and bullet points alone. This applies to Power Point, C D - ROM, computer-based training, and trade show presentations. Also, making images and messages in your presentations consistent with your overall branding campaign helps a prospect feel much more comfortable about making a purchase decision.

7. Not taking full advantage of technology

Many business owners fear technology. It's human nature to avoid what we don't understand. But avoiding new media translates into missing out on a lot of sales opportunities. Sales go up when you integrate your messaging consistently over time through a combination of media like a Web site, interactive CD-ROM s, and computer-based training. In today's business arena, these technologies are key to building your brand and increasing your market share.

8. Having an employee's 14-year old son design a company Web site

A Web site needs a lot more than a "cool look." It's got to sell your company and its products and services to people with very short attention spans; prospects will surf to a competitor's site in seconds flat if they don't see immediately that you can meet a burning need. In today's marketplace, your Web site should be the cornerstone of your marketing strategy. It's where marketing communications start and end. Every tool you create must drive prospects to your site-for substantiation, education, inspiration, and motivation to buy. You should put a sound marketing strategy in place before site development begins; and when your site is going up, make sure that all your messaging integrates seamlessly with your branding and business processes.

9. Not using all available resources to drive traffic to your Web site

Many companies have a Web site "just in case someone asks us if we have one." Before you take the first step toward developing a site, you should have a formal plan in place to drive prospects to the site; and it should play a crucial role in implementing your overall branding strategy. Traditional marketing tools like billboards, print ads, signage, and printing the web address on business collateral will help drive traffic to your site. You should also take advantage of online methods like search engine registration and optimization, banner ads, online advertorials, keyword purchases, links, and cross-promotion. A combination of offline and online methods, along with a solid branding strategy, will deliver waves of prospects to your site.

10. Not seeking editorial coverage

Editorial coverage establishes your brand and boosts sales, especially when used with other media. Getting coverage requires an aggressive, strategically focused public relations campaign. Such a campaign gains your company exposure and increases its credibility. The first step is to study relevant publications and their editorial calendars, so you can coordinate press releases about timely company events with editorial needs. The next step is to follow up on every release and cultivate relationships with key editors and journalists. Success can be measured by the amount of relevant exposure your company receives after a sustained PR effort. You'll see the results on your bottom line.

11. Practicing "do-it-yourself' branding without enough experience (or time)

Poor branding may actually be more detrimental than no branding. If you lack the required skill sets in-house, and your team doesn't have time to devote to a consistent, sustained branding effort, you should hire a firm that specializes in getting results for companies your size. Branding takes strategy, finesse, effort, and time; a savvy, strategically focused marketing communications firm delivers on all fronts.

12. Improper employee training concerning the corporate brand message

Since branding occurs any time someone in your company comes in contact with the public, don't forget about your walking, talking billboards - your employees. They may be on the phone with client s, schmoozing prospects at networking events, or simply talking with friends and associates. Train them to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with your brand message (i.e., customer - service focused), and they will be good-will ambassadors to the markets you address. Training can be instructor-led or computer-based; both are effective as long as they're performed consistently.

13. Not tracking a branding campaign's effectiveness

Do some research. Find out how the marketplace (customers, employees, prospects, and competitors) views your company. Then, measure similar groups several months after a sustained branding campaign. You should be able to tell, number one, whether the campaign has imprinted itself in the marketplace; and, number two, whether or not the perceived message is the correct one. Individual tools can also be helpful: things like testing the results of a direct mail campaign and measuring page views of your Web site.

14. Forgetting about your existing client base

Many businesses are so focused on landing new clients that they forget about their biggest resource for new business-their existing client base. This is especially true if your offerings are varied. Chances are excellent that you are already qualified and credible in your existing clients' eyes. They'll listen when you suggest a new product or service. It's a win-win situation. You become a strategic partner who has your client's best interests in mind-and gain new business in the process.

Ed King is President and resident branding expert of WOWappeal, Inc., a company that turns businesses into brands by strategically repositioning them as differentiated, proprietary forces in the marketplace. Contact WOWappeal at 678.727.4040, or on the web at www.WOWappeal.com .