Effectively communicating your brand message is not so much about what looks pretty or sounds catchy, it’s about what conveys your message better than anything else. Once your brand has been established and the business message is unmistakable, the next step is to communicate that message to a targeted audience. So, how do you do that? By following these 5 simple “effective brand communicating” steps:
Step One: Seek Out Professional Help
Everything about your brand message must be unique, creative and unmistakably you. For small businesses that are on a tight budget, realizing what it takes to create an exclusive and distinctive logo or trademark phrase might be daunting, however having a strong foundation for your brand is crucial to marketing success. So, do your research and splurge on your logo and trademark phrase. If you’re cousin, nephew or uncle has a hobby of creating art in his spare time, that’s wonderful but not good enough for your brand. Take pride in your business, and hire a professional to help you build your business brand.
Step Two: Think Less is More
This holds true in every aspect of marketing your business and communicating your message. First off, your logo and trademark phrase should be clean, minimalistic, and sharp. If your business is more on the ‘fun’ side, we recommend starting with that minimalistic approach and working from there, allowing your graphic designer and marketing team to build upon a strong base.
Second, when communicating your message through a trademark phrase, think right to the point. In a matter of days, everyone has come to associate “winning” with Charlie Sheen. When you hear “I’m lovin it” you automatically think of McDonald’s. “Have it Your Way” is definitely Burger King. We all know that the “Breakfast of Champions” is Wheaties and Maxwell House Coffee is “Good to the Last Drop.” Each of these trademarked phrases has outlasted the test of time because they are short and sweet and straight to the point. Consider their logos and how minimalistic they all are. Less is definitely more.
Step Three: Don’t Make Your Audience Struggle
A logo, trademark phrase, and overall brand message should work seamlessly together and be incredibly easy to understand. Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your audience, but don’t make them work to decode the message underneath it all. There shouldn’t be a message underneath it all, there should just be the message.
If you’re writing a suspense novel or promoting a scary movie, then sure you want some layers to the plot; you want the audience to have to work at figuring out the ending. However, this is the exact opposite of what you want to do with your brand message. If you’re audience has to piece together your logo and trademark message like a puzzle, you’ve lost them. If the audience has to guess at what an experience with your company will be like, then you don’t stand a chance of marketing effectively.
Step Four: Do Not Get Attached
Everyone has their own taste in art, music, food, colors and style, but do not let that affect your ability to effectively communicate your brand message. Too many times we have seen wonderful businesses fail to prosper simply because individuals in charge of brand messaging fell in love with an idea that suited them, a visual message that spoke to them, but did nothing for their target audience.
Jumping back up to Step One, have a little trust in the abilities of your professional marketing team. If you’ve budgeted for professional help, take advantage of that help by not holding them back with ‘inside-the-box’ ideas of what colors, fonts, and words to use.
Step Five: Seamless Integration
Finally, the most important step to effectively communicating your brand message is the seamless integration of logo, trademark phrase, and marketing. This is what it all comes down to; not just having the perfect visual aid (logo and trademark phrase), but working it into every aspect of your marketing campaign and keeping that brand message consistent. Creating the brand, laying out the foundation, it’s the easiest part. Now the work comes; actually taking that message out into the world where your audience ahs the chance to love it or hate it.
Keep every aspect of your brand in step with every other aspect, from your custom made Facebook landing page to your Twitter profile, website and printed marketing materials. Everything must look like it was created from the same mold. If you can accomplish this goal and effectively communicate your brand message consistently across all mediums, you will see dramatic improvements in brand recognition and visibility.