Why Branding is so Important to a business:

The brand image, what does it bring to the company? Have you ever noticed that some brand images get our attention?

The brand image and its definition:

The brand image is the representation of a company (or organization, institution) perceived by the consumer. The term “ branding ” is also used to qualify the brand image. The messages related to the brand are conveyed via the Internet, the media and print.

The representations conveyed are essentially "mental".  The dissemination of the message constructed and addressed to a target audience is likely to generate an exchange, reasoning and therefore influence the audience.

The brand image is:
Wanted by the company:
The company sets goals, intentions and values ​​that it wishes to convey to the public.
Perceived by the public:
The brand image corresponds to the representations existing at a given moment in the target population.

What are the differences between branding, reputation and notoriety?

The terms "brand image" ,"reputation" ,"notoriety" have very different meanings, while being complementary:

THE BRAND IMAGE IS THE IMAGE THAT THE COMPANY CONVEYS TO THE PUBLIC:

It results from the characteristics of the product or brand concerned and is influenced by broad advertising campaigns. When the perception of the image of the product is positive, this promotes the marketing of the product and thus argues the practice of high prices. To influence the consumer, the company must know their mental behavior because each individual has a brand image of his own.

The notion of brand image comes into play when the individual wants to use this brand image to meet a need or / and himself to stand out according to his social role. The brand image provokes in the individual an attitude which can be positive because he likes or which can be negative because he does not like. Source: Wikipedia

REPUTATION IS THE IMAGE PERCEIVED BY THE PUBLIC:

Reputation is the way in which something or someone is known and regarded in an audience, feeling a favorable or unfavorable opinion. It stems from the interpretation of signs, from the message that the individual has received.

The brand becomes the receptacle of the projected reputation. One of the main objectives of a company is to control its brand image and to ensure consistency between the true image , the  desired image and the perceived image .

NOTORIETY IS THE RESULT OF SHOWING AND WHAT THE AUDIENCE REMEMBERS:

It is the character of what is notorious and known to a large number of people. Awareness is the measure of the degree of presence of a brand in the minds of individuals. It is the public's knowledge of a brand. The notoriety of a brand on the web becomes its level of visibility, as on social networks, on search engines with the referencing of the website, the blog.

What about branding and marketing?

Reminder on the importance of marketing:

Marketing makes it possible to analyze the needs of consumers and all the means of action used by companies (or agencies or organizations) to influence consumer behavior. The marketing creates value perceived by the customer and adapts the commercial offer and the product of the business to consumer desires. For the brand image to be popular, one (or even more) marketing action (s) is (are) essential.

The importance of marketing for brand image:

When the perception of the brand is positive it promotes marketing. Marketing is used to ensure that the brand image is appealing, to target the target audience  and to deploy a branding campaign that brings personality to that brand. It is this personality that the public will perceive by decoding the specific signs of the brand.

In addition to the purchasing process (triggered by the identification of a need created by the brand image) , marketing defines according to the reactions of individuals, the why and their actions. The best known classification of need is that of Abraham Maslow , who distinguishes 5 categories of needs influencing the behavior of the individual:

How to design a brand image?

How to build a strong image?

Each company tries to reproduce the brand concept by dreaming of being as easily identifiable as the brands Apple, Adidas, Lego, CocaCola,…. Brand images of all kinds of activities known around the world and to all audiences. The brand image can be built in 3 points:

1 - THE REFLECTION | KNOW YOUR BRAND WELL:

The company must ensure that its brand image is consistent and reflects its identity. Creating a brand image is the way for a company to ensure its popularity and the loyalty of its customers.

2 - CREATE THE MESSAGE THAT THE BRAND IMAGE WILL CONVEY:

The company must ensure that the message it conveys through its brand image expresses to the public what it wants. Certain questions advance this reflection:

• What can branding say and bring to its market?
• How should the brand image be perceived by the customer, compared to the wishes of the company?
• How will the message and values ​​be delivered to customers?

3 - DEFINE A DESIGN AND COHERENT CONTENT:

It is essential for a company to:

• Implement the message defined through the name and slogan of the company.
• Define a visual identity in accordance with its message and brand image.
• Defining a graphic charter.

How to develop your brand?

The best way to develop your brand image and disseminate it and communicate about it through all possible channels:

• An Internet site,
• A blog,
• The social networks,
• Marketing tools,
• Print (business cards, flyers, sales brochure, etc.).

Communication about your brand image is essential to develop it.

Building a strong brand image is appealing to your business. Beforehand, define a budget and measure its effects so that the investment is profitable. The priority for a company is to sell and then to strengthen its brand image.

Conversely, a strong brand image hiding a defective service or product can have the opposite effect and even turn customers away if the communication is disproportionate.