Today we understand branding to be a product, service or company that people recognise through a logo, slogan, design, colour, sound, symbol or just an interaction. If I say to you “cola” it is likely you will associate the colour red with this. If I say “Just Do It” you know I’m talking about Nike. That is branding working its magic.
So what about branding on a more relatable scale? Let’s think about Doug. He’s not running a multi-million-dollar corporation with a global brand. He’s Doug, from New Zealand who builds houses, retaining walls, decks and renovates old bungalows. He has a fair bit of work on but there are still lulls from time to time. Some extra clients (with larger, more profitable projects) would be welcomed. Doug needs to stand out from the competition. He wants to be picked over that guy Wayne up the road to renovate the lounge at number 32. Bloody Wayne!
Doug is listed in the yellow pages online. That’s great but our lovely customer Kate (at number 32) hasn’t considered the yellow pages in a decade. She’s the wrong demographic. Kate uses social media to search these days. She searches for builders and scans the results she recognises some names and clicks on one or two because they have good descriptions of their services; she recognises the logo from vehicle signage around town and she thinks they sponsor her sons footy club. Kate sends a few instant messages and Wayne replies to her message first. He says he is out on a job, but he will call between 4pm and 5pm to discuss her options.
Wayne is wiping the floor with Doug already. He’s made himself visible through his brand and picked the right platforms to advertise his services (Kate just happened to pick Facebook). By replying to her message so quickly, Kate now associates Wayne and his brand with good communication and efficiency; traits she wants in a builder. All this and she hasn’t spoken to him yet.
So, what’s the lesson for Doug? What can he do to make sure his brand works for him? Here are my top tips for him to get started.