5 Things to Look at While Building a Brand in India

A brand is a comprehensive picture of a company which stands as an embodiment of its core values, aim and identity. It is the brand that people derive what your business is all about, who it wants to target and what it has to offer. It is absolutely essential for every organization to formulate a solid brand which not only increases the consumer interest in the business but also gives the company a voice and face.

Great branding separates a company from the vast pool of similar competitors and creates a brand identity among consumers. The brand is like a signature which is used to identify a business and assures the customers that the products on offer live up to their expectations. If you are planning to build a business brand, then it is necessary to know that building a brand requires a great deal of time, efforts and resources. However, there are certain guidelines that you must follow while building a brand in a country like India. The five key brand building aspects are discussed below in detail.

1. Define Your Brand

   The first key point while building a brand is to define it elaborately to the consumers. While defining your business brand, you should create a checklist of its core strengths. You should highlight the expertise that your business possesses and makes it stand out stand out in the market. Your core values should reflect in one way or another that how your business is contributing to the environmental, social and economic well-being of consumers. You may not realize these attributes of your business immediately until you look at them objectively.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

   A brand’s target audience is the specific group of people which the company wants to pitch its product or service to. In order to reach this group, you need to first understand who they are. Define your target audience by asking yourself questions like-who would buy my products, who currently buy my products, where does this group shop from, what other interests do they have and how can you best cater to these interests? The key is to accept the fact that your brand can’t cater to all kinds of audience. Your brand should only target those who would be interested in your products.

3. Create A Brand Identity

   The essential step for successful branding is building an identity. After you have recognized your target audience, the next step is defining what your business’s competitive advantage is. What makes your brand unique? Identify and focus on the things that make you better than your competition. Make sure your company’s logo, tagline and literature reflect your brand’s values and unique factors. Your brand must reflect what your customers and employees think about your business to have any credibility.

4. Set Brand Goals

   List the objectives you want to achieve the brand and work towards achieving them. An effective brand knows what it wants, how it wants to achieve that, and when it will achieve that. Your brand strategy should be in sync with your business plan. Skipping out on setting realistic goals for your business will leave your brand vulnerable to losing on its purpose. Once your image has been created, following some simple brand guidelines can ensure that the business adheres to its policies and stays effective.

5. Be Flexible

   As your brand name grows, so do the responsibilities and expectations to continue with brand building.  A successful brand has to make a lot of adjustments to the course of time. Branding is a process, not a race, so expect to constantly mould your message and refresh your image. If your old tactics are not working anymore, do not be afraid to change them. The best strategy is to run constant brand reviews. You can evaluate your brand successes through metrics such as levels of brand awareness and levels of engagements. Regular reviews will help you seize and exploit new opportunities while fulfilling your commitment to remaining true to your vision and core values.