Bizzalley's Business Q&A

Q)How does a Business lunch a new product or service line that fits its brand?
Bizzalley's Answer-Ideally a company serious about its brand will have its brand guidelines and brand strategy, these documents will outline the “rules” of the brand and enumerate what message the brand is trying to present, thus the kinds of products that are in line with the brand. Furthermore, it may be ideal for the company to put together a brand council, this brand council will comprise of a group of people from various levels of the organization. Ideally, top level to mid-management level who will act as a brand compliance unit and ensure that new products and services are in line with the brand. Finally, the organization may choose to hire a brand compliance manager whose job will be to ensure that all products and services comply with the brand using the brand strategy and brand guidelines.

Q)How can a business ensure that the marketing activities carried out are in line with its
brand?
Bizzalley's Answer-While the brand strategy is set at the corporate level, the brand itself is usually managed in the marketing department, thus occasionally there will be a divergence between what has been set at the corporate level and the activities being carried out by the marketing department. This usually happens when the marketing department has compromised the brand to meet certain goals set. In order for a business to mitigate this occurrence, the presence of a brand authority is required. This authority should ideally be a group that may be referred to as a brand council. They will be the custodians of the brand strategy and guidelines set by the board or top-level management and will ensure that the activities that may affect the brand carried out by the marketing department is in line with the brand.

Q)What are the essential elements required for a successful brand?
Bizzalley's Answer-The following are essential elements required for a successful brand.
Determine the brand position; this encapsulates the target customers the brand intends to cater to, what the company does, what differentiates it from its customers and
Establish unique Brand Associations; this includes the company logo, font, name, and colors, etc.
Establish Brand Personality; these are the qualities the organization would like to be identified with; to clients, employees and customers.
Establish Brand Promise; this involves identifying what the various parties that interact with the organization should expect e.g., clients, customers, employees; and ensuring those expectations are in line with your brand and what you can deliver.
Tell a Unique Brand Story; this encapsulates the company’s history and the summary
of the good and services being offered. This also includes the vision, the drive, and the
purpose.

Q)How does a business increase its brand recognition?
Bizzalley's Answer-

• Ensure the business’ brand is unique, visible and prominent amongst competitors.
•  The business must produce quality products/service.
• The business should enhance its customer service
•  The business should keep an open line of communication with customers in the form of newsletters, and emails.
•  The business should work on establishing a solid social media presence to make the rapport between you and the world seamless.

Q)How do I successfully rebrand my business?

Bizzalley's Answer-

• Establish the company’s differentiating qualities and document them.
•  Establish the company’s products target customer, their demography and common characteristics so as to build the brand around them.
• Document the elements that make up the brand, the brand guidelines, and the brand strategy.
• Appoint a custodian/committee to be in charge of these documents who will ensure compliance and protect the new brand.
• Finally, ensure the new brand is communicated to the employees, the employees need to be on board and participate actively with the rebranding process.

Q)How do I ensure that my brand identity is in line with my original brand strategy?

Bizzalley's Answer-In order to ensure this, a business needs to know what its brand identity is. A brand identity is what separates a business from its competitors, it is its key identifier that customers have come to associate with the company. For instance; it may be quality, speed, luxury, etc. In order to discover what a business’ brand identity is, some interaction with customers must be carried out; this may be through surveys, polls, etc. When the brand identity has been ascertained, the business may then be compared with the original brand identity in the brand strategy. If there are discrepancies and differences, the company may need to change their marketing approach, rebrand or adjust their products.

Q)What is the best way to protect your company’s brand?

Bizzalley's Answer-

• By establishing what the brand is - a business must know what its brand is and how it wants to portray itself to its customers.
•  By establishing a brand strategy and brand guidelines – when a business knows what it would like its brand to be, the business must document how it will go about achieving this brand and what the dos and don’ts of having this brand entail. For instance, a company aiming to be a luxury brand must separate in its guidelines marketing practices that are accepted from those that are not in line with the brand.
•  By establishing a brand compliance authority; this person or group will use the guidelines and strategy to ensure that all company activities are in line with the company’s brand.

Q)What are the signs that tell you it’s time to rebrand?

Bizzalley's Answer-

The following are signs a business should look out for in order to know when it’s time to rebrand;

• When the company’s brand vision is not reflected by the brand identity
•  When the company is not easily differentiated from competitors
•  When the company’s brand associations do not reflect the brand vision.
• When a business is going through a merger or is being acquired
• When a business is trying to increase its market position by targeting a larger customer base.
• When a company is expanding geographically

Q)How does a business management ensure its company culture is in line with its brand?

Bizzalley's Answer-

• Employee Buy in: The business’ management must ensure that they have employee buy in, that is, they must ensure that the employees believe in the brand and are willing to promote that brand.
• Business Management Commitment; The business management must ensure that they practice what they preach, that is, whatever culture they are trying to promote, they must be seen adhering to that culture.
•  Organizational Structure; key to organizational culture is the organizational structure of the company, the organizational structure must be designed such that the brand and consequently the culture has been taken into consideration.
• The Policies, Processes, and Procedures; These are the backbone of all organizations, the compliance of these activities accounts for a significant aspect of organizational Culture. It is thus imperative that these documents are accessible, complete and in line with the company’s brand.

Q)How does a business expand whilst keeping its original brand strategy?

Bizzalley's Answer-

The company may have to consider altering/updating its brand or going through a rebranding in the expansion process as sometimes, a company’s outgrow their brands. However, in the event that the company is sure that the brand is still appropriate for its activities and customer base, the company will have to focus on;

• Ensuring that new staff are introduced to the Company with an emphasis on the company’s strong culture and core values.
•  Ensure that each branch has a brand ambassador/brand compliance manager ensuring that the new branches are adhering to the original brand vision.