What Distinguishes A Brand From A Company That “Only” Sells?

Distinguishes, The business has changed in recent decades. Whereas it was difficult to do business in the past and only the bravest started it, today it is no longer the case. The expansion of the online environment has made it all easier for us. Thanks to it, barriers to entering the market have decreased, so people are more likely to start their businesses today. In addition, the online environment is constantly evolving, so this trend will only move forward.

However, there is a difference between creating a business that sells a product or service versus building a brand. It brings value to the company and can stay on the market.

What Distinguishes A Brand From A Company?

If you were to ask entrepreneurs why they do business, most of them would probably tell you that for-profit or personal freedom is excellent. We also really like that personal freedom. But if that is their only goal, they will not be enough. It brings no value to the company, but it also does not lead to brand building. It may not even last long. The moment someone appears in front of them, at least a little better, their product becomes a service that is not interesting for customers, and all their efforts may be useless. This also indicates that only half of the small business will survive for more than 5 years.

On the contrary, if you want your company to have a lasting impact, create value in the company and attract customers, whether you sell socks or cars, you need to build your brand. The brand is more comprehensive than the company’s name, its products, or its owners.

What Distinguishes Successful Brand From Companies That Only Sell?

A successful brand knows its values. She knows what her mission is, where she is heading, and her vision. In addition, it has a story that attracts others and draws them into the story. As a result, this brand has its authority and creates loyal customers who will be with it, no matter what happens. She can change her products and services, but customers will stay with her because she is her – their beloved brand.

4 Characters That Make A Company A Brand

1. A Clear Promise

A successful brand does not just look at what it wants but cares about its customers. They try to understand what customers want, what their needs are, and come up with something that will meet their needs. It gives them a promise that is clear and understandable. Security is the basis of the brand. It symbolizes what the brand stands for, what it believes in, and its opinion. The brand can push the promise into its slogan, but it should reflect it in everything. For example, Mercedes-Benz communicates “The best or nothing.” This obliges the brand to ensure that all its products meet this promise. But not just the products themselves. The customer expects the best in the case of vehicle service, staff access, from service technicians to the receptionist in the store.

It is, therefore, necessary to make sure that the brand can also fulfill this promise because there is nothing worse than empty and unfulfilled promises that will destroy the brand’s reputation.

2. Unique Position

If you do not invent a product or service that does not yet exist on the market, you will have to face tough competition. If a brand wants to succeed, it must be different from it. It has to be unique.

Try to click through a few e-shops, and you will see that everyone has fast delivery, excellent customer service, a wide range, free shipping, and reliability. Some may even pay attention to organic production. So these are not factors in which you could be unique. Of course, until you come up with something completely groundbreaking, you will create your difference. Therefore, look at it through stronger diopters and find something that sets you apart from others. Therefore, choose at least one thing that you can do differently and better than them, and you will be unique.

3. Meaningfulness

Successful brands make sense. They create and build value for our company. However, it is essential to find just those relevant values ​​for customers, through which brands will achieve that they will also be interesting for customers.

A common mistake is that brands forget that we humans are emotional beings. Even though we have ration within us, we follow emotions. Therefore, the brand should find relevant values ​​that it also communicates through feelings so that it will make sense for our entire society. As a result, the brand will attract customers who want to be a part of it.

Dove is an excellent example of a meaningful brand that strives to make beauty a source of self-confidence, not anxiety and worry. We don’t find the perfect sporty woman in their ads. On the contrary, they say that beauty is not defined by shape, size, or color, which inspires us to be ourselves, authentic, because we are unique and beautiful. In addition, Dove pushed the whole idea forward, and in the #MyBeautyMyAO Choice campaign, he wants to empower women to define what beauty is. So the Dove brand has everything that a meaningful brand should have. 

4. Consistency

Just as you don’t trust a friend who doesn’t keep his promises, you don’t charge a brand that turns a coat as needed. As we predict, we expect specific behavior from a friend we know, and we similarly perceive brands. We want to feel like we know them and how they will behave next time. That’s why consistency is essential to a brand’s success. Once a brand decides to communicate one promise, opinion, one difference, it should not change significantly. Of course, he can come up with something new, but it must always be in the line of his “personality.” It should be consistent over time. If we talk about consistency, the brand must be uniform in word, text, and visually.

The consistency of the brand allows customers to build a relationship with it. As a brand builds its stability and credibility in what it does, customers know what to expect from it today, tomorrow, but also in a year. 

Mercedes VS. Cheaper Car

Why does someone buy a Mercedes instead of a cheaper car? After all, they both have similar functionality, equipment, and maybe a similar look. One reason why this is the case is rational justification. But this decision is also influenced by something else – and that is the brand’s strength.

This is also the case for the big computer giants – Dell, Sony, and IBM. All of their computers use the same software, but in the eyes of buyers, one stands for flexibility, another for innovation, and another for quality. So they make an explicit promise. They are unique, sensual, and consistent.

If you are a company that is not just about profit but a little more, you need to build your brand. It is based on solid foundations defined in the business marketing strategy.

Also Read : D2C Marketing: When a Customer Buys Directly From a Brand