The biggest branding mistakes

• I don’t need a brand, my product will ‘sell itself’
• Failing to differentiate
• Don’t lie to your customers!
• Inconsistent and ineffective corporate identity
• Having a ‘cheap and cheerful’ web site
• Not having a sufficient understanding of your customers
• Practicing ‘do-it-yourself’ branding without enough experience or (more often) time
• Keeping your brand a secret!
• Not tracking a branding campaign’s effectiveness
• Forgetting about your existing clients

You may think you have the best product and service package in the world, but if nobody knows about them, it hardly matters. Word-of-mouth only takes you so far. To truly grow your company, you must have a strong brand that reflects what it is that makes you better or different and give your customers a real reason to choose you.

Failing to differentiate

Real difference is not just about look and feel, it’s much more than that. To differentiate yourself from competitors means basing your company on a solid foundation — for example, a concept of ‘extraordinary customer service’ in an industry that lacks it. This difference must be understood and delivered by all your employees and communicated to your target market in all your messaging. Consistently pursued, differentiation will help to firmly imprint your brand in your prospects’ minds.