Brand battles are getting fierce. You have to go beyond just simple marketing techniques to win the trust of the consumers. There are hundreds of brands launched every year. Each vying for the customer’s attention. In such a crowded marketplace how does one make sure his brand is recognised and is registered in the minds of the people?

The answer to this lies in not just one but many things. Here, we present you a checklist that can help you get started on this wonderful journey of brand building. Remember, the rules of the game keep changing in every few years. But if your branding efforts are purpose driven and well-thought then you will emerge a winner in this game.

• Have a brand philosophy: The first and the foremost rule to remember is to have a mission and a vision for your brand. What is the objective behind your business? What problem does it solve? What is the future of your product or service? Whom can it benefit? These are some of the questions every brand should ask before it embarks on the path of brand building. Once you are clear on the philosophy and purpose behind your brand, you can build a narrative around it and incorporate it into your mission statement.
• Know your target audience: You have a great product or a service. You have the financial muscle to take it to the market. You also have the right branding in place. All this will work in favour of you only if you take these messages and products to the right people. Knowing your target audience is extremely critical for a successful marketing strategy. For example, if you are a tech company, you should know the behavioral traits of your target audience, their preferences, the sites they visit on internet, the competitor products they like etc. Once you know the pulse of the audience and have deep insights into their likes and dislikes, it becomes very easy to start a conversation with them and win their attention in the right way.
• Engage your customers: Once you have the attention of your target audience make sure you hold that for a long time by keeping them engaged. Communication is the key here. Newsletters, emailers, promotional products, advertisements, social media and the list of communication mediums are endless. Understand the demographics and behavior of your target audience to devise a communication strategy that keeps them engaged and lures them to try your products.
• Promote your brand: Once you are done with communicating your product and service features to the customers, the next step is to motivate them to buy these. Keep it subtle. For instance, use custom logo printed promotional products as a good recall branding item. It is believed that people who use promotional products have high chances of getting converted as customers. There are other mediums and methods as well for promoting your brand. The key thing here is to keep the act of persuasion on.
• Be socially responsible: Does your brand solve a prevailing problem? Does it believe in social responsibility? Studies show that brands that are socially responsible register high sales. People prefer brands that are environmentally conscious and socially responsible.
• Pay attention to design: And last but not least, pay attention to the details of designing. Choose a logo that depicts your brand’s personality. Keep your branding uniform across all communications platforms. For example, if you have selected a certain scheme of colors make sure you use the same shades of colors in all your collaterals. When customers see repeated usage of the same color scheme and logo they start correlating a particular image and colors with your brand. That is a big plus if you want to set your brand apart in this over-crowded market.

The above tips are just a starting point and the journey to creating a top brand is never over. You learn every day from different experiences in the market, from interaction with customers and from your internal employees. It is only those brands that have their ears to the ground and eyes glued to perfection that thrive.