包装您的品牌

什么是品牌？ 韦伯斯特定义了一个品牌作为一典型或特别标记。 In contemporary society, a brand is the essence of what people believe or think about you, your product, service or your company. 它是您的身分。

烙记是翻译成方式人感受关于产品和服务的那种易怒的feely好材料。 也有消极品牌那里，但我们不会去那里除了提及强的品牌可能非常迅速成为阴性一个。 在那个品牌附近考虑所有消极宣传关于Mattel和所有高射炮与铅涂料问题。

品牌是什么保留人返回。 它使他们感受确信，安全，信任和关心为。 它建立忠诚、定型性、忠诚、从一而终和名字公认。 那么这是什么意思对和为您？

品牌可以是卑鄙不同的事对另外人民。 一个事遗骸的常数： 品牌应该強制，吸引，大字书写，引人入胜或有趣。 如果您的品牌哭泣不耐烦，愚钝，繁琐，单调，厚腻或者简单胡说，是时间“变换”品牌。

建立品牌将是您今年做的最重要的事。 它将冲击您的事务、您的事业、您的家庭和您的顾客。 您想要首要给自己定位在您的顾客’或上司’眼睛。 那个方式，当机会来了时，您和只有您是直接考虑。

品牌可能做那为您。 意识到是重要的品牌不是一件静态事。 正因为您的品牌是伟大的去年不意味它现在将有同一成功。 品牌可能变得老，过时，凋谢甚至过时。 记住多虫的鞭子？ I don’t either but it disappeared along with soon to be obsolete this like vinyl records (nor so the say).

Consider brand recognition. Brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, GM, Apple and McDonald’s not only have instant recognition but they also have the capability to bring an image into focus. Visualize those brands. Not only do their brands represent a product but a feeling too.

Some of the most compelling brands stay with us for a lifetime.

Think back…?? remember those roadside signs for Burma Shave? Remember how Smoky the Bear needs you to prevent forest fires? That’s what your brand should do for you. It should shift you to the forefront with the people that count. That way when it becomes time for a decision your name or your company’s name comes up first. If your brand accomplishes that, congratulations. Read no more. If not, it’s time to rejuvenate or reposition that brand.

Evaluate the following points before you start building your strategy.

1. Define your brand attributes. Brand attributes are like your skill sets. If I asked you to describe yourself in one word what would that word be? Strong, emotional, trustworthy, honest, sincere, reliable, friendly. That’s a brand.

2. Start thinking in these terms to flesh out the essence of your brand. What one word do you want to be remembered by? Would I be interested in what you have to say? If not it’s time to rethink your core message. It’s also important to understand that building your brand is as much about your customer (boss or client) as it is about you. You need to provide what they need, not necessarily what you are selling.

For example, you sell packaging (imagine that), doesn’t everyone? Does a potential customer need a new vendor? No way, but they need you right? So convince them that you are different and not just on price. Distill it down to what can you do for them that no one else can do.

• Deliver on time (reliability)
• Offer design assistance (creativity)
• Take inventory (responsibility)
• Help them sell more product (loyalty)
• Reduce the number of SKU’s (efficiency)
• Help them build their brand too

Get the picture?

3. Promise yourself to use your brand with everything. The more you see your brand the more powerful it will become. The ultimate goal is instant brand recognition. If I say the word Microsoft, you have an immediate opinion that connotes both good and bad images. My point is that whether it’s good or bad, it’s instant acknowledgment that you know this brand.

4. Use your brand to open doors, reinforce the doors that are already open through customer recognition. Get customer buy-in for your brand through testimonials and success stories. When other people do your talking for you that becomes your brand.

5. Leverage your brand. Do you have a charity or special cause that you endorse? Volunteer and get active. You never know whom you might run into. Make sure it’s a cause you believe in and not one you have selected for the publicity. Ensure its okay to include your participation in all you promotional materials. Integrate these into your brand.

6. Think brand in everything that you do. The average message needs to be seen or heard seven times before it’s even recognized. Consider the places where brand recognition comes into play. I’m not talking about the obvious places like TV, but the more subtle ways brands influence decisions or interests. Subtle brands are those that people really remember.

7. All your promotional materials are mandatory branding items. Business cards, flyers, media kit, stationery, websites. The list goes on. Make sure to personalize it and use a photo or a catchy tag line like “Packaging Diva”. People remember that stuff. It’s okay to have fun with it. Not all business is serious stuff. In fact, many CEO’s are now taking humor classes to learn to “lighten up” and “social networking” is becoming the next hot way to get your brand out there.

Some other subtle branding techniques include your voice mail. Tell me what you do. I don’t care whether you are in the office or not. What are you are going to do for me to solve my problem (that’s why I am calling). Don’t forget to tell me the best way to reach you too. If you never answer the phone (a negative branding message), I’ll soon tire of leaving messages or become agitated that I cannot reach you.

Insert your brand message into your signature file too. You would be amazed at the number of people that just assume that you know who they are when they send you an email. Be sure and check mine out at the end of the newsletter. I update it monthly with what is fresh, new and exciting.

8. Promote your brand. This is fun. Promoting your brand is the best part of the process. Get out that horn and start tooting it. Don’t be shy. If you don’t promote yourself, who will? Write articles, give speeches, and get interviewed. Get OUT THERE. There are countless ways to soft sell yourself and your company in order to increase your visibility. Use them all.

9. Don’t forget to build a network. I just joined Linked in and already I have close to 400 connections (as a colleague mentioned. I have an awesome packaging network). This is where you can live the brand everyday. Your brand should be clearly visible and identifiable in everything you write say or do. Your brand should continually evolve and crystallize the essence of your message. Think me, I, my, then take the next step. Who are you going to tell? Everyone.

Make a list of every person you come in contact with, including friends and family and non-business activities. Think about how you interact with these people. Don’t they need to know about you? Did you remember your hairdresser/barber, vet, and cleaning lady? I’m not reaching here. All of these people know someone who needs to know about you. One can never tell where the next “connection” might come from.

10. Who knows about your brand? So you have a great brand, now what? Who knows it? What are you going to do about it? What is your brand action plan and whom are you going to share it with? Ask yourself who should know this. How can I reach them? What makes my brand better than brand X? You do know who brand X is, right? If not, how can you differentiate yourself from them? Better get sleuthing. Investigate what is appealing in the competition and determine how your brand is superior.

You need to continually coalesce, amalgamate, blend, consolidate, fuse, synthesize and unify your essence into a core message. The message should be consist and easily repeatable. You want people to remember you and to tell your story for you. When that happens, you become your brand evangelist. You know that you have a strong brand.

A brand can be anything whether old or new. Build your brand by understanding your core attributes. Promote and leverage your brand every day in every conceivable way. Use the power of your brand at any opportunity. Plan your brand marketing campaign. Tell everyone who you are. It doesn’t matter if you have the best brand out there if no one knows it. Make sure you a true to your brand; and for heaven’s sake never leave home without it.

About the Author:

JoAnn Hines is the Chief Executive Officer at J.R. Hines International, a firm providing consulting services in the packaging industry. For over 30 years, Ms. Hines has been engaged in packaging trends, forecasting, ideation/brainstorming and implementing innovative new packaging technologies.

Need insights on packaging trends that can impact your business? Get the Packaging Diva on your team. Visit PackagingUniversity.com to find out about the latest packaging innovations.