Industry EYE: Shop Talk - Marketing - Make Branding & Selling Work Hand in Hand
Everyone in business has to sell. In the long run, it's what keeps you alive and growing. Yet there are times I hear clients say they're willing to give up sales to support the brand. Are you kidding? Never! That's evidence of grave dysfunction between creative and marketing.
Solid brand work is proven to create ongoing recognition in mail, retail, online, broadcast, space advertising and even partner campaigns with other products or services.
How can you ensure your brand is working hand in hand with your creative efforts to sell? Follow these five tips:
1. Be clear exactly who your customer is — and who you're targeting. Some merchants try to be all things to all people. That's a sure road to a mealymouthed brand that says nothing to nobody.
2. Clearly define your brand. It should be much more than a graphic design approach; it's the reflection of what you mean to your customer. It includes consistency in:
- voice or language;
- various color palettes, fonts, and photographic and layout treatments;
- merchandise;
- offers and promotions;
- mission; and
- customer service policies and actions.
3. Consider all your selling channels when refining or building your brand. It must work equally well in web, print, space advertising and retail. If not, there's something missing.
4. Keep your brand's look and feel consistent in all your channels, throughout all touchpoints with your customers. Unify operations by having a core team rather than managing web, email, print and retail in silos.
5. Don't allow a designer's style to interfere with the most basic things customers want — ease of reading, clear visuals and ease of ordering.
When your brand is an honest and true reflection of your company, you'll never need to choose between sales and brand.
Carol Worthington-Levy, partner, creative services, Lenser (carol.worthing ton-levy@lenser.com).
