Ah, the sweet smell of spring! We've endured the April showers, and now, it's finally time for May flowers! But, that's not all that's blooming...
Throughout the month of May, Garden Media Group will hone in on one of our favorite concepts: branding!
Each and every Wednesday throughout the month of May, our Grow blog will be examining a new aspect of branding.
Stick with us, and by the end of the month, your flowers will be in full bloom--and so will your garden business's brand!
To begin the journey, we're discussing one of the most important and initial steps of branding a business: defining your brand personality and product.
Branding in a Nutshell
Before we go too far, let's start out with a common definition of branding. After all, we talk about it all the time, but it's a really abstract concept to fully grasp.
At Garden Media, we consider branding the process of creating a reputation. That spans everything from a business's logo to creating life-long ambassadors for your brand.
In essence, a successful brand is one that has a solid fan base and a legion of loyal customers, who organically spread the love of your brand to their friends.
Starting with the Brand Building Blocks
The first step to branding is figuring out just what you want your brand to be known for. Of course, we'd all love to be reputable, loyal, funny, charming, modern, sleek, reliable, innovative, and inspiring. The list could go on and on.
Yet, these are all words that many businesses strive for. You want your garden business to stand out. When creating a brand, it's imperative that you have a very clear idea of the personality you want to foster.
Before you delve into the process of branding, you've got to determine three words that define your brand.
Yes, three words that define your business. That's it.
How To Create Branding Words
Branding words are important because you want to present a clear, concise image of your business or product to the world.
You need to venture out into the stratosphere with confidence about who and what your brand represents.
First, start out by writing down a list of all the words that influence and encapsulate your brand's mission and personality. Who are you? Really?
Brainstorm like crazy, and have all of your business's influencers participate individually. Think about words that describe your product and who you want your brand to be. They can be concrete, abstract, specific, or broad. For right now, just jot down every word you asssociate with your brand.
Now, you've got a list-- a really long list. Start crossing these off one by one. Zero in on the words that speak to you the most. It's all about your intuition here.
Begin narrowing down to the words that are unique to your brand and product. Use a thesaurus to find a one-of-a-kind word if needed.
Then, have a meeting with your top influencers. Tell them to bring their lists, and see what similarities there are. Choose three words you all agree on.
All of your head honchos need to be on the same page. Now's the time to talk it out informally, and begin to create a shared vision.
Finally, surround yourself with images that encapsulate these feelings or ideas. These words should be furthering what your garden business does from now on!
GMG's Case Study
To illustrate one of the most valuable lessons of branding, we'll show you just how well this excercise worked with a past client, Conard Pyle's Knock Out® Rose.
For our three words, we wanted to establish what made the Knock Out® Rose different than the millions of other shrubs and roses out there.
After walking through the steps listed above, we decided we wanted the Knock Out® Rose to be known for:
-
Low-Maintenance
-
Flowering Shrub
- Color in All Regions & Seasons
Once you've outlined your brand or product's personality, the next step is answering the branding 5 W's.
Stop by next Wednesday to see how to master this next step too!
To find out what made our Knock Out® Rose campaign so incredibly successful, read the whole story with our e-book!
An extra special thanks to Strengster for the branding image!
