Mini Guide

How to be more successful

by creating a strong brand perception.

There are over 4.5m small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) in the UK according to The Department For Business, Innovation and Skills.

Every brand should portray a story that is easy to remember and engaging for your audience and customers.

The thing to remember is that if you don’t build your brand story, you allow others to create their own interpretations, which could in turn lead to tarnishing your company’s reputation.

Brands are influential when their messages are executed correctly and the way to do so is by being authentic and original, offer something other business wouldn’t think to do, and most importantly portray a message that people can relate to.

The following guide explains what you need to do to build a compelling story and to make your brand stand out in your industry.

“ Once upon a time, there was what there was, and if nothing had happened there would be nothing at all”

Charles de Lint, Author

What do you do that is so different from everyone else when there are so many of us in business?

How to build your brand story and create a massively positive perceptionHere is what we consider as the nine ways to build a positive perception and create a proposition that offers real differences against your competition.

1) Content/Copy Identifying from the outset your strategy to how you want to be perceived sets a long-term goal. You need to educate customers to create brand loyalty and build a rapport. Your story needs to teach customers and prospects something that is engaging and more importantly, of value to them. This is more powerful than telling everything about your product. Being clear and direct helps support your credibility and recognition as the ‘go to person’ in your industry. 2) Website You need to offer information of value to build your community. Your website needs to be a place where prospects and customers go to look at new things, your opinion, to find information and to get to know you better. A good tip is to include advice on your area of expertise. If you can become a source that people come to and listen to, others will follow.

3) Testimonials Telling your story is great, but when someone else does it for you, it’s even better. Having another company explain how your product or service has helped improve their operations is a huge benefit. Make sure to include their names, company name and position, if you have a small picture of them, even better. This demonstrates that they are real people who valued what you delivered.

“Never use your blog as a sales pitch.”

5) Photography Having bespoke imagery that is related to your company becomes a powerful tool in telling a true story that builds a positive perception. An image helps to evoke emotion, by connecting with an audience and defining a style. The biggest asset is that the imagery becomes unique and exclusive to you and your company. 6) Direct Mail When portraying your message via a piece of direct mail in a simple but effective A5 4 page format, this allows you to craft your story for customers. Remember, you must offer a meaningful purpose against your competition in order to stand out in the marketplace.

“ You must offer a meaningful purpose against your competition in order to stand out in the marketplace .”

4) Blog A blog is a way of posting views and opinion on a regular basis. Posting good short posts twice a week helps to show personality and intimacy between you and the reader and gives an insight into your industry expertise. Never use your blog as a sales pitch disguised as a blog, you will lose credibility instantly. The key is to use a blog to build a rapport and be engaging enough for people to come back.

How to build your brand story and create a massively positive perception Cont’d

How to build your brand story and create a massively positive perception Cont’d

7) E-Marketing/Webmail By having only a matter of seconds to capture someone’s attention, a webmail with an engaging message that offers a customer market knowledge rather than product detail becomes a much more effective sales tool. For instance, if you are a florist a message need not be solely on the range of flowers sold, but emphasis on being sourced locally. By being honest, nothing is more powerful than truth when communicating credibility. 8) E-Guides Producing digital guides, a bit like what you’re reading now, provides information closely related to your line of business. It has to be FREE with the aim to drive traffic to your website, build your database and grow your reputation. Remember, it has to be relevant, informative and useful, not a blatant advert for your products. It has to entice readers to find out more and to interact with your business. All you need to commit to is research in your own words and build your story.

9) Community Initiatives Portraying a responsible message throughout your community helps build a close rapport for your business. It’s a simple premise, doing good things makes you feel better. You cannot eat a whole cake to yourself, you’d be ill. Eat some and share with other people around you. If it is working with local colleges, involvement with initiatives such as the Young Enterprise, this helps build your story as a trusted and responsible business.

“Nothing is more powerful than the truth when communicating credibility.”

© 2012 ID GROUP LIMITED

The copyright of this document is wholly owned by the ID Group Limited. Unauthorised copying, lending and use of the work is strictly

prohibited without prior permission from the ID Group Limited.

Developing an engaging story, building a rapport and repositioning you in the mind of the buyer as more of an expert than your competition is key. These are key areas to build credibility. Hopefully this guide provides some interesting routes to explore in more detail.

Lorne Park House1 Lorne Park Road Bournemouth BH1 1JJ

Telephone: +44 (0)1202 557 458 Email: mark@theidgroup.co.uk Website: theidgroup.co.uk Twitter: /heyidgroupFacebook: /heyidgroup

This guide covers some core areas, however, it serves purely as a ‘checklist’ to ensure clarity in your approach.

For a complete solution and how everything can work together, come and talk to us. We’re here to help to deliver a consistent message.