The brand building process is an essential part of any marketing and business development. No one will buy from a business if they don’t know it exists. If what you offer is not tangible such as law, fitness training, and career coaching services (among many others) we get how it can be difficult for you to create your branding.
Everyday we are surrounded by different service firms that have gone through the journey of the branding process. By defining a brand, an emotional connection is created with the consumer, developing an experience which leads to creating a relationship with them.
Throughout the process, branding can vary depending on the specific outcome a service firm wants to achieve. Some firms are focused on the reputation of the company, while others care most about staying true to their promise to consumers and having happy customers. This is what differentiates the branding process between a service and a product.
Find Your Uniqueness
Since the beginning, leaders should define exactly what they want to be known for. ‘Professional services branding’ emphasizes on putting more energy in the unique aspects of the business. For example, “transparency” is being commonly used with many well-known brands such as Southwest. They actually created their own word for their advertising campaign: transfarency. It focuses on their low fares and transparency in fees.
Once you find your differentiator, use it to your advantage and get creative. Southwest has always had bold advertising, but creating a completely new term put them on a leading-edge because their customers will now remember that word.
Reputation is Key
The objective of any brand should not only be to create visibility and brand awareness, but also to grow a good reputation.Since what you offer is not tangible, you want to focus on the connection you create with your customers so they keep coming back for more. Focusing on connection adds value to a company because it establishes an authentic customer relationship that puts the people's heart as the priority. By having specific values and consistent services, the firm focuses exclusively on doing the work and connecting with ideal clients.
A Little On Branding a Product
While both product and professional service branding are similar, product brands rely more on advertising the specific product, rather than growing their relationship. Having said that, product branding has evolved into an overall experience starting from the packaging to the advertising of the product. Consumers are now looking to be part of something bigger, to feel good about themselves, and for a unique connection with a brand.
A product branding strategy works to create recognition of a specific product and specific selling points. Distinctive packaging is beneficial in order to stand out against competitors. High quality, sleek design, and unique features is all part of consumer branding. Without successful branding, the product is just another product on the shelf.
Take for example, Apple. Apple is the perfect example of an outstanding branding, sleek design, and uniqueness. If you think about it, Apple has an excessively large revenue but has a small number of products. It’s brand values, such as usability, stay true with every new product that is launched and grows it’s trustworthiness with its customers.
Overall, branding is a necessity whether the firm is based on professional services or products. It is a process that should be exciting because it brings in new opportunities for the firm to grow, be known, and work on their human connection. In all firms the audience should be well established to focus on the customer experience and from there build the brand.