Misunderstood Marketing

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Branding is one of the most misunderstood marketing concepts plaguing businesses around the world. A brand is defined as a set of expectation, memories, stories, and relationships that, when combined, differentiate a company’s product or service from the competition. This ideology is also known as “top of mind awareness;” when people think of a particular product first to fulfill their product or service needs.

Traditionally, branding has been achieved on a linear level through channels such as newspapers, radio, television and magazines. With the integration of social media, this linear line has become distorted. As the ways in which people communicate change, so should they way in which a company markets their brand.

Too many companies fail to fully integrate social media into their daily brand marketing strategy. This strategy should include such things as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and blogging.

Building a brand is about building customer experience. It is about knowing what your customer relationships look like and building on those experiences. If you do it well, loyal customers will share their positive experiences to their friends only enhancing a brand’s image.

Customer experience has evolved and companies should be transforming to meet their wants and needs. If companies stay the same, their brand’s image will only look worse in the coming years.

Customers are no longer picking up the phone or sending snail mail when they have a problem with a service or product, they are turning to the Internet. When their answers are not found on the company website, consumers turn to twitter, blogging or other social networks to find an answer.

There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path in customer experience. Companies like Southwest Airlines and Costco have successfully transformed their brand and integrated social media into their marketing strategy. These two companies are walking the path and successfully engaging with their consumers while creating a strong brand loyalty.

In short, a brand should transform over time. Companies should listen, engage and connect with consumers in innovative ways building on the ideology of top of mind awareness.

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