“Branding is endowing products and services with the power of a brand”
– Kotier & Keller, 2015
Branding is the practice of creating a name, symbol or design that differentiates a product from other products. It provides meaning to a specific company, products or services by building and shaping a brand in the customers’ minds.
The primary goal is to establish a significant presence in the market aligned with what the brand promises that attracts and retains loyal customers.
A Brand is a Relationship
A brand is not just the logo or the design system, it’s about the experience. People interact with the brand and somehow different experiences create different frameworks in their minds that defines the foundation of the product or service, why it exists in the world and what drives it.
A brand is a relationship which is built upon by all the individual experiences. It is a connection that exists between a person and a company. Branding taps into, and is defined by, human emotion and connection.
Relationships Bring Customers Back
The Brand is the relationship between the company and every customer they interact with. Every single interaction that the company has with its customers can build or damage the brand’s reputation. This relationship taps directly into human emotion which makes it incredibly important.
Think of the loyalty a person can build for a company if the company builds its brand upon personal connections. Imagine a following of customers who “love” your brand; if love is the defining emotion of a relationship, what could be more powerful?
Branding is a Process
A brand is an intangible bond between a company and a person, and if we define them as a relationship, then the brand requires nurturing, time, thought and commitment. But that’s also what makes this an incredibly powerful force that have the potential to make a lasting impact on people’s lives.
When your customers know your brand, like it and trust – they’ll choose it first.
Building relationships with your customer should start with a choice. Do you want to sell to a customer once, or are you building a brand where your customers come back again and again, and maybe refer your brand to others?