Most brands start out with good intentions. They look vibrant, fresh, but often times they are dying from the inside out.
You probably have seen this scenario before played out, whether it’s a brick and mortar store in your town or an online brand. While there can be other outside factors that play into why the brands fail, many times you can pinpoint it back to bad marketing and poor company culture.
Let’s dive into the most common, fatal branding pitfalls.
Lack of Brand Identity
Let’s start with the number one detriment to brands: a lack or loss of brand identity. Many times businesses see such immense profit right from the start that they never slow down to develop their brand identity. On the other hand, sometimes passion clouds over marketing and after years of going through the same motions, they have lost sight of who they are. Either way, the brand has a major problem.
Having a strong brand identity is what permeates to your audience.
If you don’t know your brand identity then there is no way that your audience will know either, or even worse – they will take the lead in determining your identity.
Lack of Simplified Message
When a brand discovers its true identity, it’s important to take time to learn how to simply and concisely express it. Messaging should be balanced so that it is not too short and without substance to entice people, or too long-winded and boring that people don’t care to listen. Communicating your brand’s why in a few short sentences that effectively inspires your audience to act is the desired balance in between.
This is often best done in the form of a short story for stories are recallable and inspiring. Brands need to take time on this – if necessary, seeking outside help to build a strong brand story and message tracks.
Lack of Consistent Communication
Regularly communicating with your audience keeps the relationship relevant and trustable. Inconsistent or a lack of communication leaves room for assumptions – and you do not want your brand to be determined by assumptions. Brands need to be disciplined with communication through social media, emails, customer service, printed materials and everything in between. Let your audience know that you’re there and that you still value their support.
Don’t assume that your audience knows the “why” of your brand – consistently and regularly repeat that purpose over and over in your messaging to allow it to sink in with your audience. Even if you are sick of saying it, you can be sure your audience is maybe just starting to understand it.
Lack of a Targeted Approach
One most common, well-intended mistake is thinking your brand is relevant to everyone but here’s the truth: that is very rarely the case.
It’s not realistic to think that your brand can be everything to everyone. Overreaching quickly burns out your employees and waters down your brand because everyone and everything is spread too thin. Think about it…your brand wasn’t created to appease everyone, only a specific audience who truly benefits from it and are interested.
We could not say this enough – spend your time, money and attention on a target audience, NOT everyone.
Lack of Cohesive Messaging
Discord among your communication and marketing outlets too easily builds an inaccurate picture of your actual brand identity. It is imperative you have a brand manager or employee dedicated to ensuring your brand image is consistent in everything your brand is represented in – PPTs, proposals, email blasts, signage, messaging, events and all other forms of marketing.
Having a cohesive brand message builds trust and equity. If your audience is at all confused about your brand, they are quick to dismiss it.
Don’t overlook these important notes when building a solid brand. Even if you have an established brand, look over your brand identity and make sure your messaging is still relevant to your target audience. It is normal for brands to continually evolve over time to keep from being obsolete.
So how is your brand identity looking? Dimalanta Design Group is equipped with brand identity experts and ready to give your brand a complete analysis with a one-hour free consultation. Ready to take your brand to the next level? Email info@orig-dimalantadesigngroup.devsquad.tech to get started.