Strategic Branding In A Slow Economy

Strategic branding isn’t a quick process. It’s like evolution: It doesn’t move in leaps and bounds, but in steady, forward steps.

That means that nearly any time is a good time to begin a true strategic branding effort – though, admittedly, some times may be better than others. Like when the economy is in great shape, and your business in on fire. In fact, that’s often the best time to begin a serious brand strategy. If you wait until things slow down, or until you’ve got more time on your hands, your business might not be doing well enough to support such a decision.

If you wait until times are bad to hire a team of consumer and industrial product brand consultants to take your brand to the next level – or to develop such new strategy if you don’t have one – then strategic branding might be a bit more of an uphill climb.

The old saw “strike while the iron is hot” might apply here.

Strategic branding is a long and steady process. It means building up your name in your clients’ memory banks, making them associate you with a great product, excellent service, quick callback times, and friendly, helpful personalities.

Here are a few tips to consider if you’re just starting to consider a branding campaign.

• It never hurts to explore. Even if your firm is in the middle of a downturn, you shouldn’t be scared to start looking at strategic branding possibilities. By doing some research, you can find out what hurdles you’ll face and, more importantly, what kind of benefits you can reap by having an effective brand strategy. You can begin by taking our brand test.
• Branding is slow. Turning your company’s name into a recognizable brand within the industry isn’t something that’ll happen overnight – it’s a long, detailed process, like building muscle by going to the gym every day. Because of this, it’s not necessarily going to require a large amount of seed money up front. You may need to pay for the services of a team of branding experts at the outset, but any brand strategy worth its salt will bring with it a substantial ROI.
• There’s no universal method. What works for one firm may not work for another, so don’t think that a colleague’s hard luck story will be your own. A good marketing consultant tailors strategies to individual clients based on a broad array of factors, including target market, available resources, and any new product launches that may be on the horizon.

Finding a team of experts to help you in your journey of strategic branding is essential to the process. Scott Yaw Associates has been helping businesses strengthen their brands for years – and we can help you.