Alright, think fast.  What do Kleenex, Gladwrap, and Band-Aid have in common?  Any takers?  How about Mustang, Disney, and Marvel?  Simple answer: they’re all brands.  Each of these brands has become so successful that they have created an identity.

With the first three, the brand has become synonymous with common domestic products.  We sometimes say Kleenex when we’re talking about any facial tissue, Gladwrap when we mean a plastic wrap, or Band-Aid to mean a sticking plaster.  The brands have become so successful that they are identified with the entire niche.  The last three have a much wider range, and the establishment of a successful identity in each case has led to the creation of commercial giants.

Branding is the establishment of an identity for your product.  Whether you are working on mortgage broker marketing or marketing in any other niche, the establishment of a solid brand is a key strategy for creating a presence in your niche.  So, how can you establish your brand?  What are the steps to making it successful?  Here are the steps:

1. Know who you’re talking to.

You have to understand your target audience.  Get to know what they want and how best to reach them.  Are you speaking to up-and-coming professionals?  Real estate moguls?  Health conscious hipsters?  Single mothers?  Each audience will have different needs, so you will have to shape your message to fit them.  This about what you have to offer, and figure out who will want what you have.

2. Understand your audience.

Once you know who you’re talking to, figure out how to present your message to them.  Each audience has their own agenda, things they want, things they want to hear.  Once you know your audience, you can craft your message.  You can find out how to shape your message in a way that inspires them to take advantage of your product or service.  If you’re having trouble with this, you can look into demographic information or other details.  Define their needs, and then figure out the three or four options that best suit them.  Then begin to craft the message.

3. Establish a solid and consistent brand position.

So you now know what your customer wants.  You’ve come to clarity around a few options that many of them will find appealing.  The next key is to find a brand position that offers these options.  Focus on the unique value that your brand will provide to the target customers.  Sort out what you actually want to deliver.  Use your brand to promise this outcome.  Show how this offering makes your company stand out from the competition.  Remember USP, unique selling point.  You have something new and different to offer, and your brand is the way to do this.

4. Create your brand elements.

This is where you begin to really establish your identity.  You know who you’re talking to and what they want to hear.  You know what you’re offering, and that it’s what they want to buy. You have to make the recognisable elements of your brand fit with what you want the audience to recognise.  So, focus on what you’re known for, or what you want to be known for.  Focus on the elements that make your brand unique.  Establish the visible elements too – like the logo, imagery, font, that sort of thing – all in alignment with your USP.  Make the visible form of presentation reflect the essential elements of your brand.  This is essential whether you are working with mortgage broker marketing or getting your foot in the door with any other niche.

5. Market it!

This is the last step, but without it, all of the pre-work is ineffective. Get it out there.  Let people see your company and your brand.  Look into social media marketing management, set up an email funnel, establish strategies for customer outreach. In short, make yourself visible.  Make sure that every contact with customers reinforces your brand.  As it gets off the ground, each customer is an inroad to other customers.  This blends the more modern strategies with the organic, word of mouth approach.

If you’d like to know more about brand creation or to look into details of marketing, feel free to contact us.  At Reputation by Design, we’re dedicated to helping your business reach its highest potential.