How to Reinforce Your Branding Efforts

Your brand is your most important asset. Branding drives your company and sticks with it longer than any product or service you offer. Times change and innovations come about, but your branding keeps your business thriving. 

The key is that opinions and perceptions of your branding determine your value in the marketplace. Your ability to build and reinforce the branding you communicate to consumers through marketing efforts will be the test of sustained success. 

What is Brand Reinforcement

Brand reinforcement involves the various activities organizations pursue to ensure the brand equity they have built won’t dissipate over a long period. Companies such as Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson have invested consistently in brand reinforcement that keeps them thriving, even as product lines and target demographics change.

Areas of focus to properly reinforce your brand are: 

• Consistency
• Communication
• Community
• Brand Value

Consistency is Essential

The goal is to be recognizable and memorable to your audience, accomplished through consistent branding. When we say consistent, we refer to your brand image, messaging, and values being clear and unmistakable. Implementing your logo, colors, and other features of your visual image across all resources, products, and materials makes your branding consistent. 

Aside from your brand’s visual image, your core values should be unwavering through all company ventures, activities, and promotions. Your customer service, marketing, products, and business operations should reflect your core values to remain consistent. Establishing and maintaining a consistent brand is easily the first step a business should take to create lifetime value for consumers. 

Communicate Regularly Through Social Channels

It is unlikely that your customers and prospects will remember every word you have said or every movement you have made. Engaging your audience through channels such as social media is key to reinforcing your brand. Prioritizing availability to respond to the needs and desires of your audience with branded messaging and tone of voice will continually build your brand in the eye of the consumer. 

Be sure to layout brand voice standards so anyone within your organization can establish consistent communication that aligns with your core values. Designing these guidelines around your industry expertise and willingness to listen, reach out, and motivate sharing through social channels will have a positive effect on brand reinforcement efforts. 

Build a community

A highly effective method of boosting branding is taking your relationships with customers to the next level by establishing a community. Customer relationships should never stop when they leave your website, purchase an item, or make a connection with your company. Building a community through a newsletter, social media group, or forum allows customers and your brand to stay connected. 

You could even organize events or send out direct mail to stay in touch, further reinforcing branding efforts and community building. Once your community is formed, engaging your audience becomes clockwork. Communities form long-lasting relationships between customers and brands and have the added benefit of making a customer feel valued, meaning they are more likely to spread the word about your business. 

Integrate Your Brand Values

To build on community, if your goals involve building long-lasting customer relationships, integrating your core brand values into your marketing strategy that represents your beliefs and what you stand for is essential. While your product lines, logo, website, and marketing will change over time, your brand’s values must stay consistent. 

Sharing your brand values openly builds deeper connections with your audience. These connections nurture your business and build trust over the long haul. With proper implementation, reinforcing your branding will increase the value your business displays to consumers.