Branding Tip#1

Introduction

Branding far exceeds the benefits of advertising because it’s the sincerest form of gaining customer loyalty. Branding is found in life. Real life. Not exclusively in a text book or classroom. Every small business owner is inherently a branding expert without realising it.

I’m not going to sumup the term Branding or Emotional Branding, as it’s sometimes called, in mere words. Your emotional connection to the subject will be far more beneficial.

Let me be clear. I am not a Branding Expert in the academic sense. My knowledge of branding is confined to life’s experiences.

I read a few top rated books and together with my personal reaction to the litany of stimuli unleashed by advertisers in the print, electronic, and social media, I believe I can share some sobering thoughts on the subject. My presentation style may be considered unauthordox; even scoffed at by branding experts.

Feel free to send me a note via my personal email:

rj08193@gmail.com

Thanks for indulging me.

Roland P. Joseph

Art coordinator,

(soon- to- be- launched)

BUCKED-UP MEN’S Blogzine

Branding Tip#1

The Art of Branding for Small Business Owners.

My forway into the exciting and sometimes esoteric realm of branding begins with three true stories.

The grumblings coming from an animated group of people as I alighted my vehicle in the car park of a popular south supermarket was conspicious. Them eh want people like we in they hoitey toitey cafe, papa…

I would soon discover that it was a reaction to discovering that a few selected customers had received personal invitations to the publically advertised opening of an inhouse cafe emblazoned on a banner outside. I, too, had looked forward to indulging my guilty pleasure – the daily cups of coffee – but questioned whether my showing up will be an intrusion.

The incident incited a sarcastic grin. I recalled what I now deem my first hands-on lesson in branding. Though, at the time, I didn’t frame it as such.

The owners of what would later become the most talked about restaurant and lounge in San Fernando, while chit-chatting with a group of us at the bar, responded this way when asked about the establishment’s formal opening: If you can’t invite everyone, who do you invite? All of our customers are special…

I don’t wish to bore readers so I’ll recap some of the owners’ interactions with the customers from the very start of business.

– Some customers at the bar, close to the door, mentioned experiencing a gush of air against their back each time the door opened. In spite of the fact that fewer that six people could be affected at any given time, the owners installed a double door.

– The owners would walk around and chit chat with every single customer.

– To facilitate safe parking, arrangements were negotiated with land and property owners close to the establishment.

– There was limited parking in front of the building and anyone was free to park in one of these prime spots. There was no reserved parking. Not even for the owners.

I don’t wish to go on and on, even though I’m tempted to, so I’ll sum it up.

Did we keep coming back to this place because of its appealing aesthetics – the ornate mahogany bar, plush carpeting, comfortable seating and cool air-conditioning? Maybe.

Were we drawn to this place because our car was safely parked and monitored? Perhaps.

And did we come in droves because of the well stocked bar? We perhaps did.

Was it to look at the owner’s wife who was young, good looking, well dressed with a disarming smile? I’m sure the men perhaps did.

Or was it the appealing barmaids and efficient service, excellent food? Again, perhaps.

All of the above conspired to lure us there. But the real reason we went there is lodged in our subconscious mind. We went there because all of us were made to feel special. As though the owners were our friends. Whether you were a janitor, a plumber, the garbage collector, an executive, business owner, millionaire etc. Whether you drove a broken down Datsun or a shiny Benz, there was no ‘segregation’. No reserved parking, no VIP area. We were all special and known personnelly to the owners.

I’ll regale another story. This one took place quite recently.

I happened upon the formal opening of a newly established branch of a supermarket chain. With only standing room left, I stood alonside the crowd. Seated on the comfortable cushioned chairs under the ornately decorated tent were the early arrivals. At these events there’s always a true-to-heart Trini in the crowd. A big mouth comedian. He peered inside the tent and blurted: Wait nah, is ordinary people inside dey. I thought it was the mayor and some big pappies.

A woman added. They made a fuss over people like we?

It turned out that the event was planned for the supermarket’s first time customers. The opening was announced via a mike mounted on a vehicle and social media. The owner, decked in a suit, delivered the welcome address. He, accompanied by his family and the staff, were at the door to welcome the customers.

See how this contrasts with the first story.

Now do I need to tell you what social currency is and its ultimate value to a successful business; more so, those without an advertising budget? The owners of the restaurant and lounge didn’t pay for expensive ads. They didn’t need to. And social media was not yet around. They did their part in accumulating a precious commodity called social currency. In turn, we the satisfied customers, volunteeringly spread the word. Word of mouth, in spite of social media and myriad advertising outlets, is still the most effective form of advertising. Why? Because it’s the most sincere.

If you garnered anything useful from these tips, let it be: Little things and gestures count in a big way. Customers register their feelings in the subconscious mind.

On this, my first post, I told you about a precious commodity called social currency without actually telling you. And conversely, I told you about a destructive ‘commodity’ known as (overt) preferential treatment. What I didn’t tell you is: as a business owner or store supervisor, your effort in attaining customer satisfaction, cannot seem feigned and pretentious. It’s an interpersonal skill that is innate in some people and though it’s a skill that can be acquired, it must seem sincere.

A final note on the restaurant and bar story. Following its tremendous success, similar businesses attempted to copy the model. Most however missed the key point. Miminicing the tangle assets was only a small part of its success. The real success lay in the special way customers were made to feel. And it wasn’t accidental.

May the happy sound of the cash register continue to ring until my next post:

The Power of Association.

Give me a week betweem posts. I’m struggling with the lethargy of retirement and weighty emotional strain from caring for stray cats in a neighborhood of cruel people.

BE KIND TO ANIMALS. It’s Our Humane Duty.

Roland P. Joseph

rj08193@gmail.com