Starting your own business is an exciting time, but as with anything of value it also must be reinforced. This will protect and foster the durability and long-term success of your brand. So how does one go about bulletproofing their brand in the intensely competitive and dynamic world of modern day business?
While every facet of your business needs to be toughened, this article hones in on five simple ways you can strengthen your business in your quest of making it impervious to failure and threats.
1. Define your objectives
Knowing what you want to achieve in different facets of your business is essential in order to solidify your brand. Define your goals and how you plan on meeting them, whether it is advertising, systems or service related. This not only creates clarity, it allows you to evaluate, measure and adjust goalposts and strategies as and when needed. This gives foresight to aspects like promotional tactics and risk management.
2. Listen to your clients
Customer experience is central to your brand. Listening closely to what customers are saying about you and your industry will richly empower you to optimise such experience. Make full use of technological and innovative resources like social media. The digital world is far more than a platform to talk to your customers or market, it is also one of the most effective listening channels one can use.
3. Stick to your target market
Ask yourself the following questions: Who do you want to target? Where will you find them? How will you target them?
These questions will keep you on the right path of business development. This will help guide you in the long run, so that you never veer off course and miss your intended market groups. Keeping your target audience central in mind, bulletproof your brand focus as you concentrate on relevant strategies that are in harmony with your target groups. A mismatch here can produce devastating consequences – and no brand can survive by being attached to wrong markets.
4. Understand the basics
There’s no point in using the most innovative tools, technology and systems if the business is deprived of a solid business foundation. This includes having a clear corporate identity that resonates in sync at all levels of your online and offline branding. This needn’t be complex and arduous on one’s eyes; in fact, many successful brands are moving to simpler layouts that can be foundationally more effective in spreading a brand’s image.
This type of base further amplifies your marketing endeavours. Other aspects beyond corporate identity, such as governance, are also critical to have ironed out as there is no point building on top of a brand with shaky building blocks.
5. Understand your offering
It sounds strange, but how can you effectively (and convincingly) sell your service or product if you aren’t crystal clear about it? You need to have precise knowledge on what you are providing as well as what distinguishes it. Bulletproof your brand by developing and communicating your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
Start with these guidelines to increase the resistance of your business to adversities, weaknesses and threats that could otherwise be costly. Subsequently, make sure to align them with your brand communication or content strategies and broader marketing plan.
Proudly brought to you by the National Small Business Chamber (NSBC).