Complete marketing guide

Hundreds of years have passed since fear was instilled in our minds of being invaded by a certain species capable of dominating our senses and will. Beings with the talent to invade the Earth with their gigantic fleets and huge armies with superpowers of control.

We have heard hundreds of stories and have been led to believe that they are real. Tales, stories, curiosities and experiences of invasions as true as they are false. Who can determine the ultimate truth?

However, and to the surprise of all of us, there is a species capable of invading our existence, or at least that is what happens in the West. Although they do not have ships, they do surround and travel around our world as fast as light.

To a large extent, they are a product of our mind, because they are only as strong as we decide to believe in them. They depend on our thinking and the will we give to them.

A creation of man, tangible in a certain sense and which today, for decades, has been part of our cultural and personal development.

I’m talking about brands. 

From fiction to reality

No, the above was not the script of an upcoming film, it is reality.

Our world, our present and our thoughts, whether we like it or not, are exposed to a large number of brands. We coexist with them, we find them everywhere and they are always presenting themselves to us through various media.

We have reached the point where we ourselves are the means of dissemination, we are the ones who carry the brands to others.

An invasion of brands. That is what we are experiencing. Immersed in the habit of living among them with a certain acceptance; accustomed to listening to thousands of messages given by them every day, and that is when the question arises: which one should we listen to?

And within the invasion, brands are also asking themselves:

what can we do to survive and stand out in the face of abundance?

The answer is simply to generate added value. Being different from the rest.

We cannot afford to do without brands, despite the large number of them. We cannot do without them even more when we get into the subject of generating business, regardless of whether it is a small business or one that is already well established.

It is, in fact, an indispensable and essential topic for a business, but many still do not know its reason for being and treat it as any other action, without much grace and without explanation .

What is a brand

A brand is often mistakenly associated with the concept of a logo. While it is true that it must necessarily contain one within its commercial system, it should not be limited to that.

For its part, a logo is the main identifier of a brand together with other signs such as the name, the slogan, the tone of communication, among others.

A brand should not be seen as something that facilitates differentiation between the cost of a product and other sales prices, but rather as something that represents the sum of all the valuable qualities of a product for the consumer.

A brand is made up of psychological elements, verbal and graphic elements that carry within them emotional ties and a mixture of intangible and cultural values ​​that are ultimately shared with customers.

In other words, brands are what we consume daily.

Consuming a brand is not just about deciding which label will accompany the shirts or shoes we wear.

It is not just the name of the soda we drink for lunch, but also being enrolled in a university, contracting electricity or water services, as well as choosing one television channel instead of another.

Consuming a brand is as simple as taking a specific bus to get to our workplace every day.

We live among brands, every morning we wake up on top of a brand, we eat brands, we smell like brands, we walk through brands.

Do you see that it is impossible to do without them?

Finally, a brand is one that has the power to make us associate moments in our lives with products or services. They are part of our culture and our daily lives.

It is a philosophy of life , it is the differential mark , it is a way of thinking that goes according to a promise granted by something that we consume.

And brands are very important resources in any company’s marketing strategy. To talk about this topic, we present our complete Marketing guide. Download it for free!

Learn about the main types of brands

From a marketing perspective , the types of brands depend on the way/structure in which they distribute and market certain product and service proposals. Thus, we find the following sections:

Brand extension

It is one of the most common types of brand, since a commercial name is established for each product or service, which, as its name reflects, serves as an extension of the main brand.

For example, if Coca Cola is a core brand, product lines like Coke Zero and Cherry Coke are brand extensions.

Brand family

When diversification occurs, this is one of the types of brands we see most frequently in marketing schemes . It consists of two or more products sold under the same name/brand, as is the case with Kellogg’s.

All of the company’s packaging is identified with the Kellogg’s brand, but at the same time they are different members of a family in which we find Corn Flakes, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and a long etcetera of options.

Companion brand

It is the creation of a new brand, which is not necessarily associated with the original, but which accompanies it within the same product or service category.

For example, if a company is already established with a detergent brand and creates another product, under a new name, to interact in that same market, this would be a companion brand.

Cooperative brand

A company that is born from the integration or cooperation of two or more companies. A classic example is the Alfa Romeo car models, which were born after the association of the “Anónima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili” (Alfa) and the Neapolitan industrial group Nicola Romeo, in 1915.

Ingredient brand

Within marketing and advertising , this is one of the classic leverage strategies, where existing brands integrate available efforts and resources to generate a new brand and, consequently, product and service line.

A clear example is the successful case of Bon Yurt, a product that is possible thanks to the participation of Kellogg’s (supplier of the cereal) and Alpina (which supplies the yogurt) as ingredient brands.

Private label

Both in digital sales strategies and in physical stores, the use of private labels is widely used, as it is synonymous with exclusivity and, above all, total control over the commercial process.

These are brands associated with a main company that are also only sold and marketed within points (physical or digital) belonging to it.

In Mexico, there is the case of Sorteos Tec, which are raffle tickets that can only be purchased on the company’s website, social networks or physical kiosks, and not at other lottery sales locations.

As you can see, brand type management plays a strategic role in companies, allowing them to reach potential buyers more accurately , reinforcing penetration in a certain market or even enhancing an existing product, among other objectives.

Let the invasion begin!

Step 1: Have a brand

Explaining what a brand is and how it is created in just one, two or three articles is really very difficult. There is a reason why there are entire studies dedicated to the subject and

people who spend long years researching, experimenting and finding new methods to carry out such a profession.

However, I am in favor of continuing to promote knowledge about concepts like this, especially when there are a large number of people who love the subject of business and marketing like I do.

In addition, informing ourselves on the subject also helps us all build brands according to the expectations of today’s world.

Yes indeed,

*Warning: If possible, it will always be important to have a professional on the subject to proceed successfully.

To create a brand you need:

Now, creating a brand is an exhaustive process, are you ready?

1.    Warm-up

It requires a prior warm-up, which can begin by answering the following questions:

• Why should your brand exist?
• What project do you have for her?
• What are your values ​​and mission?
• What geographic territories will it cover?
• In which market category would it be placed?
• Who will the brand be aimed at?
• What image do you want to leave with the public?

These are just a few you can start with.

2.    Research

Likewise, it is important to do, along with the questions, in-depth research about the culture in which you will be immersed and the promises that people would be expecting to receive from you.

Turn warm-up questions into objectives to investigate.

• Define your difference with respect to other existing brands.
• Build project alternatives.
• Analyze the values ​​of the space and the public in which you will move.
• Trace the advantages and disadvantages of the geographical territory.
• Define your customers’ tastes, habits and behaviors.
• Know the laws and policies associated with your market sector.
• Among many others.

These are just examples, so the research can be as in-depth as your need for knowledge requires.

3.    Creative minds

At this point, the idea is to start defining a platform of concepts that will serve as a basis for creating your brand identity in the long term, as well as being a source of inspiration and energy.

That is, you will establish the concepts, emotions and associations with which you want to attract, communicate your ideas and be remembered.

In the creative deployment is where issues such as Naming arise : the name of your brand, as well as architecture : the set of strategies and tactics required to build a portfolio, identify relationships, define hierarchies and discover opportunities.

Likewise, this is the time to forge the personality that will define you, the verbal and visual identity, and the promise for which your brand will fight .

And remember, in this process you must ensure that your brand is:

• Brief
• Simple
• Easy to read and pronounce
• Euphonic
• Showy
• Associable
• Original
• Different
• Evoke memorization

Tips for creating a brand

Receive advice and you will grow old

1.    Define your brand

Harmony is the key to success for any brand. Always keep in mind that your brand has a reason for being and that is to provide meaningful moments to your audience, so research it thoroughly and build yourself according to the results it gives you.

Once you have chosen your character, try to stick to it, always be faithful to your brand promise and revolve around the tone of communication that you had already planned to follow.

2.    Think of your brand as a person

Personality, in us humans, is what determines our behavior in different situations in life. In this same sense, a brand with personality must correspond to this human principle.

People feel a greater identification and sense of belonging with something that appears human, rather than with something lifeless and machine-like.

On the other hand, personality helps brands to be true to who they are and this is their main difference with respect to other brands. It happens like with people: no two are the same as another, therefore, the same should happen with brands.

Are you interested in the topic of people? Here is a great guide that you can download to learn about the concept of People:

3.    Choose a good name

To start, it should be said that a brand name is nothing more than the magic word. It is the enunciation by which you will be known, so you must be very careful when choosing your brand name.

The brand name is the most important asset of any company and business. As mentioned in previous points, an effective brand name is one that is easy to pronounce, write and remember.

Avoid bad associations and be strategic with your name. Ask yourself what it would mean in other languages; you might hurt people’s feelings or become the punch line for your customers. Avoid misinterpretations.

4.    Create a logo

The logo will be the synthesis of the promise, the tone of communication, the value and the name. Therefore, make sure it is attractive and accurate with what you want to convey about your brand.

Just like the name, the logo must be simple, attractive, understandable, memorable, adaptable but with the ability to remain over time.

 Likewise, a good logo is one that works both in color and in grayscale.

To learn more about this, I invite you to read the following article: how to create a logo .

5.    The slogan

Create a slogan whose success lies in its sound. Make it catchy, contagious and easy to remember. The purpose of the slogan is to complement the brand identity and make people remember it without needing to see the name or logo.

6.    Propose a differential

It’s all about creativity .

Identify the features and benefits that make your brand different from the rest. Oh, and make sure they are real and credible features and benefits. Ideally, you should constantly be making both factors known to your audience.

7.    Define your audience

It is vitally important to define a target audience , since this is who you will direct all your brand communications to. As a tip within this: it is worth segmenting this target audience in order to reach them in a more appropriate and direct way.

8.    More than sales, generate experiences

Design and carry out experiences that enrich the importance of an optimized database in the ict sector the feeling of well-being in the client. This helps to build trust and strong ties with them. Create contact networks through which you can be constantly aware of the opinions and feelings of your clients.

These contents may also interest you:
Who are brand ambassadors and why they can help you sell more
Discover how to execute a Field Marketing strategy
Network Marketing: how this brand strategy works

9.    Long-term relationship

This is one of the most important points to keep in mind. Be authentic with your brand and be true to it, this way people will find trust in it and therefore, a relationship that can continue over time.

10. Coherence

Make sure that all the messages you send to your audience are guided by the same line of communication and that they always appeal to the truth and the fulfillment of your proposal, because this way you will maintain the loyalty of your brand and customers will always see a clear correspondence between what you say and what you do.

11.  Transmit values

The brand, together with its employees, communication, among others, must be able to contribute, reflect and promote together, values ​​in line with the expectations of your audience.

12. Be authentic

Don’t try to imitate the look and feel of big brands; be yourself instead. If you’re just starting out, you can leverage your position to attract customers who are looking for originality.

Regardless of these 12 or more tips you can find, the most important thing is to be innovative. Dare to be you .

As an exercise, think of a brand that is fairly well-known to you and construct a response about the brand based on the 12 tips. This will help you to understand the dynamics on which brand building is based.

Objectives of creating a brand

• Create the ideal environment to support the products or services we market.
• Offer additional value to our customers, thereby improving relationships and loyalty.
• Create a community of customers that generate a sense of belonging.
• Increase interest in our offer
• Increase the value of our offer
• Strengthen the image of the company or business
• Building positioning
• Improve reputation
• Save budget on traditional media

To have a successful brand

However, for the purposes of that constant work on our brands, and in summary, it is essential to keep in mind issues such as:

• Visibility: Attract with colors, shapes, textures.
• Static: Arouse emotion, seduce.
• Associative: Link to positive meanings.
• Memorable: To impose itself in emotional memory.
• Communicative: Being nice to people when communicating
• Designative: To name and point out correctly
• Significantly: Represent values ​​in line with expectations
• Identification: Differentiate yourself in the aspects surrounding your brand and business.

And never stop:

1.    Segment:

It is difficult to be a multi-target brand, that is, to address many audiences at the same time, so the ideal is to choose one and focus on giving it the best of our proposal.

The more closed the audience segment is, the easier it will be to find common elements in them, therefore, the easier the communication will be and the easier you will be to find them. He who covers too much, squeezes little , so it is better to successfully cover a niche according to your true attention span.

2.    Investigate:

Research the market, your category and direct and indirect competition, complementary and supplementary products, among others. What people like, what motivates them, among others.

3.    Focus:

Try to make your brand offer just one idea and the importance of an optimized database in the ict sector not many at once; as it is difficult, like with a person, to be exclusive, safe, practical, comfortable, economical, surprising, among others, at the same time.

Many of the ways of being are not even compatible, therefore, continue to constantly review who you are as a brand and strive to enhance that characteristic by demonstrating it not only in what you offer but also in how you offer it.

4.    Identify yourself:

Giving your brand personality doesn’t mean you can’t redefine yourself. On the contrary! Constantly evaluate yourself, just like we humans do with ourselves.

As time goes by, you will see that the interests of your audience, your environment and yourself will change without even planning it. However, the key is to always check yourself so that you can take the step to change at the right time.

5.    Get physical:

The time has come to make all our distinctive features, that is, all those objects that we will give to our clients to forge their memory of us. I am talking about the brand manual, how our communication will look visually, our business card, bags, letterheads, among others.

6.    Communicate:

A baby that doesn’t cry doesn’t take a bottle. Communication is the key to success in all areas of life. Without communication, we can’t spread the word about what we have to offer, so let the dissemination begin and don’t stop!

There are various methods to communicate: there betting email list is the traditional way, based on Advertising and Classic Marketing, as well as other methods such as Inbound Marketing and within this, Content Marketing .

Which one to choose? I recommend that you review your objectives, your scope, even your budgets and intentions as a brand; because there you will always find the answers to choose the communication methods that benefit you the most.