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Forrest of Kelso

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dotBiz

From Bland To Brand - Part II

dotBiz logo Last time, we started looking at branding your business. This time we take a look at managing your brand and how to keep it successful. We've already touched on the importance of delivering your company's brand values to your customers. What would you say is the most important cog in that machinery? Your staff. They are the critical link between your company and your customers. They must actively deliver your unique brand values all day every day.

Keeping staff involved with managing and maintaining your brand is a great way to make them feel more involved with the business, and help them believe in what you're trying to deliver. Regularly take time to discuss your brand with staff, and how the business is performing. Don't keep it all in-house, though. Find out from your customers if they feel that the business is delivering what it promises. Asking any dissatisfied customers can provide invaluable information - sometimes more so than the satisfied ones.

This brings you on to reviewing your brand. Your customers' needs and desires can change over time. Just look at how McDonalds have adapted their menus to offer healthier options as their customers have become more health-conscious, and they updated their branding to reflect these changes.

All this helps to give your brand longevity. By examining your products and services, your systems, and your marketing, and updating them as your customers and marketplace change, you can keep your brand fresh. Sometimes it may mean going right back to basics and seeing if you need a major shift in the way you do business. A good example here is Kodak: for more than 100 years its traditional core business was selling camera film. As digital photography has become far more popular now, Kodak has changed its focus to making it easier for people to get real prints from their digital cameras, either online or with their new range of inkjet printers. Likewise, it broadened its branding to encompass these changes.

This also shows how reviewing your brand can highlight opportunities to expand into other areas: Kodak have never manufactured inkjet printers before. Speaking of photography, in the final part of this Branding Your Business series, I'll be speaking to one of the Borders' top photographers about how images can make or break your brand. We'll also look at how to budgeting for your brand.