CUSTOMER RELATIONS

SELF - LEARNING MATERIAL 6

WEEK 6

Defining and Managing your Brand

Defining and Managing your Brand

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Self-Learning Material (SLM) for Customer Relations!
Developing a relationship with your customers is one of most effective strategies a
business can adopt. Studying customer relations strategy can help you deliver
tremendous ROI, boost customer acquisition, loyalty, and satisfaction.

This self-learning material was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will
be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner. Further, this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills
especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical
Thinking, and Character while taking into consideration their needs and
circumstances.

Read the simple instructions below to successfully enjoy the objectives of this
self-learning material. Have fun!

1. Read the lessons with understanding and comprehension for you to easily grasp
the topics.
2. If you have any questions or topics that you cannot understand, do not hesitate to
ask your subject teacher.
3. Activity Notebook is required for answering the exercises.
4. Do not forget to answer the pre-assessment before moving on to the lesson proper
and other activities included in the module.
4. Read the directions carefully before doing each activity.
5. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the activities.
6. Review your answers before passing.
7. Always submit the activities on time.
8. Have fun in learning and answering your self-learning modules. It will be easier for
you to absorb all the learnings that you will acquire if you are enjoying what you are
doing.

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If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to
consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not alone. We hope
that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain deep
understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the self-learning material, you should be able to:

➢ Understand the concept of brand

➢ Discuss how to refine and manage a brand

LESSON 6.1 Defining your Brand

Brands aren’t just big names like Google or Apple. While you may not realize it, you
have a brand as well.

The term brand technically refers to a business and marketing concept that helps
people identify a particular company, product, or individual. It is an intangible asset
that helps people identify a specific company and its products. This is especially true
when companies need to set themselves apart from others who provide similar
products on the market, including generic brands.

Brand Image is how customers think of a brand. It can be defined as the perception
of the brand in the minds of the customers.

This image develops over time. Customers form an image based on their interactions
and experience with the brand. These interactions take place in many forms and not
necessarily involve the purchase or use of products and services.
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Brands are a reflection of how the market views a product. They permeate society and
are an important of the culture. Here are some examples of popular products and their
brand.

1. Apple – Apple has a branding strategy that focuses on the emotions. The starting
point is how an Apple product experience makes you feel. The Apple brand personality
is about lifestyle; imagination; liberty regained; innovation; passion; hopes, dreams
and aspirations; and power-to-the-people through technology.
2. McDonald’s – McDonald's is widely known for its amazing logo design, which is
simple and speaks to the audience. From the color choice to the typeface, everything
is up-to-the-mark. McDonald's logo design is highly known for its 'Golden Arches',
which is an inspiration for graphic designers.
3. Uniqlo. Uniqlo's brand message encapsulates a clear vision: “Uniqlo is a modern
Japanese company that inspires the world to dress casual”. The corporate strategy
that has worked for Uniqlo so far is to “totally ignore fashion” instead of chasing fast-
fashion trends like its other competitors.

HOW TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND

Your brand is the image customers have of your business, so take the time to define
it thoughtfully and early, before the market does it for you. That way, your company’s
image will be what you intend it to be. It should be strategic and intentional. Discover
how to get your business to stand out from its competitors in a positive way.

Define Your Unique Value Proposition

Clearly describe what it is you offer your customers. Explain why they should deal with
you and what sets your business apart from competitors. Is it caring customer service?
Product quality? Reliability? Speed and convenience? Don’t try to be all things to all
people. Focus on what you do best and the value you bring to your customers. Let
that drive your core brand message.

Identify Your Target Markets

Thoroughly define your customer needs and how your business will satisfy them.
Conduct market research if you need to. Get to know your target markets and your

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customers’ needs and aspirations. Understand and convey clearly to customers how
you can help meet their needs.

Define Your Employer Brand

What sets you apart as an employer and community member? As a company, what is
your mission? What are your core values? And how does that translate into a unique
value proposition? How does it make you more attractive as an employer? For
example, if you have a reputation as a great place for employees with families because
of wide-ranging employee benefits and flexible work arrangements, that could help
you attract and retain the best people. And that, in turn, can strengthen your overall
brand.

REFINING YOUR BRAND

Here are a few things you should consider when it comes time to refine your brand
messaging.

1. Does it accurately reflect the image of the brand?

Your messaging is a direct extension of the brand you’re building. Therefore, the
messaging, tone and voice you choose to use should make your brand image come
to life.

When refining your brand messaging, take a look at how well it connects to the image
you’re creating. Does it fit the character you’re trying to build, or does it feel like there
is a disconnect? If your messaging sounds like it's coming from a completely different
entity, you want to take a step back and find ways to accurately portray your brand
image in your content.

2. Does it fit my customer expectations?

The message you put out there should attract your target audience and convince them
to choose your business over the competition. This means it needs to connect with
them and appeal to their unique perspective and needs.

If you find that you’re struggling to connect with the individuals you’re trying to target,
your brand messaging might be off. Realign your brand message by taking a look at
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the tone and language that your target audience is connecting with and trying to work
those qualities into your own messaging.

3. Does it provide value?

Your messaging is more than just using a casual tone and a few buzzwords. It should
provide unique value to your target audience.

To truly refine your brand message, consider what additional benefit it is bringing
leads, prospects and customers. Does it help solve a problem or provide advice or
answers? If not, it may be time for a new strategy.

4. Does it have an underlying story?

Storytelling is a major part of building a successful brand. Sharing your brand’s story
through your messaging can give your audience something to connect with -- making
them more likely to invest in your business as long-term customers.

Use your brand messaging as a way to share this story. When refining your
messaging, consider how each piece of content builds on the original narrative. Look
for new opportunities to build your story and make it more relatable for your audience.

5. Does it move the company in the right direction?

The direction of your brand is likely to change the longer you’re in business. While
your messaging may reflect who your brand was, you want to be sure it accurately
describes both who you currently are and who you hope to become.

If it feels like you’re messaging no longer represents who you want your brand to be,
it’s time to make a change. Refine your messaging so it sets the right path for your
company.

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MANAGING YOUR BRAND

Once you have established what your brand identity will be, you have to decide how
to get your message across. You can do this through advertising, events and staff
training. However, the following techniques are also worth considering:

Storytelling
Telling your business' story through corporate identity, packaging, stationery,
marketing materials etc.

Credibility
Your brand's claims must be credible and appropriate to your values.

Differentiation
Presenting a point of differentiation from your competitors.

Engaging with customers

Customers will look at what you have to offer if you stand out from the crowd for
positive reasons and your tone of voice and communications are credible.

Focusing your product portfolio

Shifting your focus onto a smaller number of key products or services may make your
offer easier for your consumers to understand.

Multiple brands and brand 'stretch'

If your company operates in more than one sector you need to consider how you
present, the business in each area. You could apply a single brand identity to products
or services across all markets. This is called 'brand stretch'. However, sometimes it
may be more effective to develop a completely distinct brand to meet new markets.

Endorsed brands
You can create a new brand in its own right but use the 'parent' brand of your main
company to endorse it. An example would be Sony PlayStation. PlayStation is a
powerful brand in its own right and is further strengthened by the established parent
brand Sony.
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Reinvigorating your brand

Keeping your communications fresh is essential. You don't have to start from scratch
or reconsider your big idea, vision or personality to refresh your brand.

Naming
Brand names are important in setting the tone and personality of your brand, and a
key element in marketing activity. Your brand name should reflect your overall brand
strategy. Ensure you check that names aren't already in use and protected by law.
Read more about choosing a logo and brand name.

Consistency
You should build the same attributes and characteristics into all areas of your business'
operations, all stemming from your 'big idea'.

Hire a designer
You can hire a designer to look at the current state of your company and explore
possibilities for developing it. Read more on how to choose and work with a designer.

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REFERENCE

Website:
Branding for your business. https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/how-manage-
your-brand
A 5-Step Process to Refine Your Brand Story. Kara Jensen.
https://www.business2community.com/branding/a-5-step-process-to-refine-your-
brand-story-02133089