Everyone talks about the importance of building your brand. Some companies achieve this with their logo, can you say Coca-Cola - red, silver, swirly letters and you know who it is without even reading what it says. Or their spokesman - you see the young face of the Mac guy (the 7-Up guy or the Dell guy from a few years back) and you know what's coming before he even says anything.
Branding is not only designed to let people know who you are, but also who you want to deal with. Let's face it, the Mac guy doesn't say "We want to deal with price conscious shoppers" - no, he says "We want to deal with those who are modern and cool - no geeks here - who don't feel need to do what everyone else does.'' Wal-Mart's branding does not say "We want to deal with elites who must be perceived as having the best of everything", it says "We want to deal with those who are only concerned with price".
There are markets for both, so both are fine. But the point is - what does your branding say about you?
If your business identity tells potential clients "We want customers who only care about price" that's what you are going to get, so be ready to give it to them. If it says "We want quality conscious clients" that's what you are going to get, so be ready. If it tells potential clients "We want clients who are modern and elite" that's what you are going to get, so again, be ready.
Many of my clients use professional photography and 360° virtual tour services, not only because it helps sell the homes faster, but because of what it says to potential clients. My clients' branding says "I want customers who are looking for an innovative, high quality, and far reaching representation when selling my home".
And I've had some tell me flat out that they did not want that kind of expectation. That's not the kind of clients they were looking for, they wanted clients who wanted traditional good ol' boy representation.
It's OK either way. I just want them to know who they are trying to speak to, and to make sure their branding is speaking to those people. It's when our branding says one thing, and we say we're looking for another that we run into trouble. If you seek clients who desire the very best in customer service, but your branding looks cheap and always mentions "lowest price" or "sale", you are going to clients who are only concerned with price, and quite frankly, you won't have the means to serve them the way you want to. If you want price shoppers your branding can't look expensive - it will scare them off and they won't trust you. If you want clients who are excited and passionate about the services they are looking for, your branding can't says "mundane, and boring".
I'm not saying that any types of clientele are bad, after they all need to be served. But if your branding is bringing you a different crowd than you are looking for, you are only going to have headaches. And the improper branding will be what drives your business in the direction it goes.
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Sandy Jagmin
Brick Road Visuals
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