Implementing Effective Product Branding Strategies To Stay On Top Of Competition

By Stacey Burt


Competition in the business world is normal, and those who wish to survive must work harder. One of the tools that a business can use to gain a competitive advantage is having good product branding strategies. Communicating the information on a product has to be done in a manner that it captures the correct information that is intended for the target audience. This strategy also considers the who, the when and the why of the communication.

Consistency is one quality that can keep a product brand on top of the competition. Every communication that goes on within and outside the business should be structured in a way that helps explain better the brand of the business. This would especially help employees better understand the brand they are working for and their roles in projecting the brand.

An emotionally appealing message about the brand works well. This is because many people buy products they have "good feelings" about. An emotionally appealing message would give these customers a "good feeling" about the business and bring in many more customers.

Everybody likes to be appreciated, and so do customers, especially when they have stuck with the brand for a while. These customers have spent a considerable amount of time with the product and have also helped market it in terms of recommending it to their friends and family. Giving such customers little thank-you presents would be a way of encouraging them. These presents can be in the form of product branded gifts or simple messages or calls to let them know the business appreciates their commitment to the product brand.

For a branding strategy to be successful, it needs to be closely knitted with the mission statement and goals of the business as a whole. It is important to understand that brand building is more than just a logo or a name. The business must therefore provide an extra service that customers cannot get from other competitors. A toll-free customer service line offered by an electronic retail business is a typical example. This would allow these customers to call for support services at no cost to them.

It is important to measure the progress levels of a strategy periodically because plans fail. The fact the strategy is a good branding plan does not guarantee its effectiveness. To know the extent to which the plans are working, it is important to measure the marketing metrics of the business before implementing the plan, and then measuring it periodically thereafter. This would also help in identifying any point in time at which the plan started to fail and factors that are causing it.

Rigidity is a characteristic that should not be shown by a good branding strategy. In the current business environment, trends change day-in, day-out, and a good strategy should be able to accommodate these changes. The strategy has to be that small modifications to the branding message can be made for different target groups.

It is also important to keep competing brands in sight while developing branding strategies. The business and its competitors are all after the same customers, so watching what competitors are doing differently can help the business strategize better. In spite of this, a business should not blindly copy whatever the competitors do.




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