Branding is the most important element for a successful company. Branding is not a thing; rather, it is a theme that permeates everything. If you are no longer in tune with your brand’s message, your customers will feel it too.
A branding workshop can help you uncover your core mission and help you create a long-term plan. You will fall in love with your company again.
What is branding?
Branding is one of the most difficult terms to define. The American Marketing Association defined Branding as:
A name, term, design, symbol, or other characteristic that distinguishes one seller’s goods or services from those of other sellers.
Some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Apple, Nike, Amazon and Netflix, have incorporated instant recognition into their products and services through branding. Even their names evoke certain feelings in consumers. This combination of physical and emotional triggers ties the name, logo, visuals, and even messaging together into an effective brand strategy.
It may not be an easy process, but branding requires a clear understanding of what your brand is about. It’s about defining a strategy that helps people quickly associate your products or services with a message. It’s about making them stand out from the crowd.
Your branding also gives people a reason to choose you over your competition and allows you to grow by attracting and retaining loyal customers who love what you do. That’s where a branding workshop enter the game.
If you’re questioning future goals and ready to get a clearer picture of your vision, a branding workshop may be just right for your company.
What is a branding workshop?
A branding workshop is an experience. It brings together a team of teachers, trainers and creatives to help with paradigm shifts and behavioral adjustments. If you’ve been doing things the “old way” for a long time, the system needs a jolt to bring things back to life.
Branding workshops are perfect for startups who want to define their business and create the right framework for growth. Branding workshops are also ideal for brands looking to polish their image. In any case, a branding workshop will help you define:
- Who you are as a brand
- What your customer really needs and wants
Branding workshops bring together employees who align the brand with its core values. It gives your team the strength to move forward positively. It helps develop the right design to attract new customers while retaining the core customer base that is already loyal to the cause.
What to expect from a branding workshop
Branding workshops bring together an experienced team with a strong marketing background with your company’s leaders. They bring in-depth knowledge of your products and services, while the marketing experts bring their knowledge to dive deep into strategy and design.
Although every branding workshop is unique, core components need to be defined. They include:
Core vision and values
Before you begin branding, you must fully define your company’s core vision and values. An authentic and authentic brand comes from knowing what the company stands for and being able to easily share this with consumers. It is the foundation for building business strength and leads to higher engagement and customer loyalty.
Start with these key questions: Why was this brand created? What is the purpose? Not only will the answers lead your customers to do business with you, but the answers will also help attract better employees who can stay true to your mission.
With your answers in mind, you can begin to set long-term business goals and decide where you want to take the brand in the future. With a core vision, you can set immediate, 5‑year, 10-year, and even longer-term goals. There is a purpose to what you do today and where you will go tomorrow.
positioning
Once your core vision is defined, you can begin to see how it fits in the market. Who is your audience? Remember that the person you served in the past may not be a perfect fit for you today. So look for your new values and your vision of who your ideal customer is. What problems are they facing and how do you provide a solution?
Once you know your ideal customer, you can start defining demographics. Start with the basics like gender, age, and location. Narrow it down by diving deep into personality traits and characteristics. What motivates them? What are they looking for on the internet? Once you have clear definitions, you can create engaging experiences.
This is also the time to determine how your competition is targeting this specific audience. What is their approach? How can you do it differently?
Define your marketing activities and how you will reach your audience. This can help you better align your branding as you can let your personality shine in different ways.
personality
Thanks to social media and the engagement of our current business practices, every company has a personality that it shares with the world. It could be demanding and serious. Or bizarre and funny.
It’s about making sure your company is on the right track with every message it sends. You clearly define what you want to project into the world and how you want to sound.
With this in mind, you should create a tagline or tagline that tells the world who you are. Examples include:
- Apple – “Think Differently”
- Nike Just Do It”
- Amazon – “From A to Z”
- Netflix – “See What’s Next”
It’s more than just a look or feel. It’s about emotions and the way people interact with your company. It’s about color, font and design. It’s about words, text and voice. If you do it right, you will create a deeper connection with the image while also building a deeper connection with your customer base.
Once you have completed your branding workshop, your core message will be clear. You will be confident that you are moving in the right direction.
If you are looking for a team to help you with your branding workshop or just need a bit of marketing expertise, Contact the experts at InnoVision. We are a full-service marketing team that helps you find your core values and integrate them into a brand.
