Branding your business

Hi, I'm Dr. Natalie Bititore and this series is all about branding. Such a big topic. I actually get asked a lot about this topic. I take it as a compliment. Means maybe I'm working in the right direction with the branding. So to start off, let's talk about branding for entrepreneurs. Branding is important for everyone. But yo, entrepreneurs, I feel like I don't even need to tell you about this. This is so important. It's one of the first things you have to do when you launch a company. And it's also fun, I feel, because, like, this is where you get to put your own, like, flavor and taste and your touch into the company that's visible. But branding is important. It is super key. So the way I would say to think about branding first is why should anyone choose you? Let's all be real. Unless you've invented something that the world has never seen before, which is very rare, you need to really be specific, niche, intentional and out there with your branding because you have competitors, people have existing solutions, existing resources, alternatives to what you're offering them. And when I say that, I mean no matter what you're selling, there is a way. People have been managing before you. So now that you have arrived, yes, you might have a better product, yes, you might have a better service, but how do you get people to experience that? First you have to get them to give you a chance. And then once they give you a chance, you can win them over with your superior product or service. But your branding is super important. And once they know you're good, how are they supposed to find you again? How are they supposed to remember you? How are they supposed to like you or recommend you? All this falls under branding. So why should someone choose you? Think about your brand. Think about how you're going to differentiate yourself. When they see all the different brands, why should they see yours and be like, oh, I know that one, Oh, I know this one. Oh, I want that one. And this is not just the color of your logo. A lot of people think that's the branding. Sometimes I've seen like very dramatic big logos and that's it. What is your vision? What is your culture? What's the mission of the company? What's the energy? What do your staff feel? What does like, what's the vibe of your company? That is your brand? Where does your company fit? What are the relevant spaces? When people see this, should they think of your company? Sort of like how bread and butter companies, like, sell together. If you think of Bluebird, what are you going to think of bread, you know what I mean? In every advert? So you have to think about, where should people think of your company when someone is washing their face and they're like, oh, my goodness, I'm getting a pimple, or, oh, my goodness, my skin looks dry? They should immediately think of your company if you're in skincare. I saw that advert on Instagram, and then the advert, the person said their skin was dry and then they used this product and this is what they looked like at the end. That is how someone will remember your brand. But what advert was it? What was the name of the company? Was it blue? Was it pink? Was it yellow? Did it have a catchy name? Was it easy to remember? Did I save it? Was there a phone number? Was there a price? What do I remember? Was it affordable? Was it exciting? Did I want the result that they're going to give, that they've promised me? This is branding. Branding is also. It's. It's like what you make people feel about your company. When someone sees your logo, what should they feel, what should they think? That is your brand, essentially, that is what it equals. So what you have to do is be intentional about what you feed into that so that the result is something that you want when someone thinks of your brand. So branding is important. And now within branding, you have things like marketing. You do have things like sales, graphic design, the posters, the whatsapps, the online ads. Are you gonna put a billboard? Are you gonna use RA adverts? Like, there's so many ways to do different types of marketing and sales, but your branding is like the core of all of that, so you need to be strong in that first. So I want to emphasize the importance of branding and also the intentionality of branding. So many companies just keep going because they have a good product or service, or their family and friends keep recommending and saying they have no branding, no logo, no PDF, no folder. On my gosh, who did I look for? The other day, I wanted to buy gifts for people for Christmas, but I wanted to send them the option. So I asked this company, oh, send me on WhatsApp, like, the product details, like, so I can send and then they can choose which one they want and I give them the Christmas gift. This person started sending me pictures. I'm like, don't you have a. A Brochure, like a PDF file in WhatsApp that you just sent me, which has every product with the price? No, Madame, we don't have that. I was like, okay, thank you so much. I was just like, I'll just use another company because this is too much. Wahala. I'm gonna send a thousand pictures to everyone who I need to give this gift and tell them, tell me what you want. Ugh, stress. No, I wanted it convenient. So I remember thinking their branding was not good. Yes, they had a, like, nice logo and colors, but what to do? And I liked their service, but they missed money. I'm just using this as an example. You want your brand to be something that's relatable, that's accessible, and you want to think about the user experience. So when you think of your branding, don't think of you first. You have to think of you and what you like and how you want it to be because it's your company. So you want to be authentic. But now the major thing you have to think of is your customer. Who is your target customer? What are they? Are they a woman, a man? How old are they? Where do they live? How do they go to work? What do they work as? Where do they spend their money? Do they have kids? Do they like, outdoors? Think about everything about like your typical customer. Now put yourself in their shoes. How do they make decisions? What kind of brand will appeal to them? You know how you see, like Pampers adverts always have mothers because they know that the mothers are the ones who are buying the Pampers. So it's about you're seeing. Why should you buy Pampers over the other brands? They're not the cheapest. So why should I choose Pampers? Oh, your baby will have this or this or this. I don't know. I get a lot of pampers adverts on YouTube for some reason, I think because I am the target audience. Women in our country of my age typically have babies, right? So for them it makes sense. So I can understand that. So you have to put yourself like that in the shoes of your customer. What do they want to see? What is going to make them want your brand? What is going to make them want to buy your product or take choose your service? If they are the decision maker, is it about the price? Is that the first thing you have to tell them that we are cheaper than all the other options? Is it about the variety that you have? We have 12 options. If you go to your local shop, they'll only have two. What is it about your company that's going to pull them in? All the children who go to our school are happy and excited and they know how to do this. Oh, I want my child to go to that school because I want my child to be like that. You see, you have to put yourself in the customer's shoes to see what will appeal to them. And so often we only think of what appeals to us. If you are your target customer. No wahala, that makes sense for you. It works. For example, if I am an African woman in this age bracket selling this product to these African women, it makes sense. Where do I find things like I'm saying skincare, oh, it's Instagram, or you know what I mean. But if I'm not, for example, in the hotels, I have a lot of male customers who are a lot older than me. So I can't be thinking about, oh, let me make cute Instagram adverts of women and kids. And that's going to attract the men to come to the hotel, to go to the gym. You see, it doesn't add up. So you have to make sure that what you're putting out is speaking to your audience. That's why it's important to know your target audience. So don't say all people are my customers. Nah, that's not helping you. Your branding should be focused and targeted on the people who are actually going to spend money on your product or service. So find them that specific group. Is it an age bracket? Is it a specific type of person? People who drink beer or people who don't eat meat, or people who are 45 to 55. Who is your perfect, perfect target audience and your perfect target audience? You can always tell who are your typical customers. For every 10 products you sell, I bet you eight out of those 10 customers are very similar in certain demographics. Is it that they are all working women? Or is it that they are all men who work in sports? Or is it that they are all people who live in Indinda? You can always find something in common in your customers. The more you know your customers, the more you get that information, the more you can focus all your branding around it. This is why entrepreneurs branding is super important. And it's something that continues to evolve. And I'm always asking for data. Give me the Facebook analytics. Ask the customers how they heard of it, what did they enjoy? What did they like? Was it too expensive? Was it too cheap? What do they want more of? Keep getting that information from your existing customers because those are people who are already paying for what you are giving. So they already like your product or your service and then use that information to bring in more people like that. And the way to do that is through the bridge called branding because that's the way you reach the customers. Your marketing is all about awareness. So marketing is for everyone. Everybody needs to see your ads or know your company exists or tell their friends about it. But the brand should speak to your target customers. Oh, I like that brand. It's so cool. It's so fresh. It makes me feel like this. If your brand evokes a feeling in someone, that's how you know you're winning. Oh, I love it when I go to that place. I feel so fancy. Oh, I love this particular saloon. They take such good care of me. I feel so comfortable and luxurious by the time I leave. That's the feeling you want to give your customers that you remember, they remember you. That memorable experience and that feeling associated is all tied to your brand. Then that customer will one, come back and two, they'll bring other people for you. That is how you're going to attract more customers and make more money. So as an entrepreneur, branding is important. If you found this video useful, be sure to subscribe on my social media channel so you can get more information. I believe in you. I want you to succeed and I'm here to support you.