How NOT to Manage Your Brand: Things to Avoid for Effective Brand Management

Managing your brand can take you to extreme highs and extreme lows. Although there are many ways in which you can shape your brand image, ensuring your customers’ perception can be tricky. Their reaction and way of thinking are very unpredictable and beyond your control, so you can only do so much to keep your brand in a good light.

Many branding experts would recommend you to do a ton of things such as identifying your brand’s DNA and aligning your online business marketing strategies with that. However, while following all the dos will certainly help in managing your brand, taking note of the don’ts can be just as important too.

1. Don’t ignore your competitors

There are many aspects of business that you need to pay attention to, and one of those is keeping a close watch on your competitors. Do a competitor research; familiarize yourself with their products, services, and branding. You can also engage with their customers to find out what they like and dislike about other brands. This way, you get ahead of the game and you know the things to avoid. You can also take advantage of the usual complaints of your competitors’ customers and offer solutions to their concerns.

2. Don’t neglect your online presence

Almost everyone rely on the internet for information. That’s why you need to put your brand out there and let consumers know that your brand exists and is ready to cater to their needs. From your website to your social media pages, you should make yourself accessible in all relevant online platforms. It can be tough to manage the marketing side of your business all by yourself, so it would be more efficient to hire professionals who can take care of all your marketing needs including content creation, social media management, email newsletters, etc.

Of course, social media also has its pitfalls. There’s always the risk of going viral for the wrong reasons, so you have to be careful when posting. Words and images can strongly affect people’s emotions, and they can impact public perception. Learn how to curate your feed, but more than that, take time to learn the proper ways of interacting on social media platforms and dealing with negative comments about your brand.

3. Don’t lose focus on your original idea

As you incorporate new ideas into your products and learn more about other brands, you may eventually start to lose sight of the original concept that you had. You may find yourself paying more attention to marketing gimmicks rather than your actual product. While creating buzz is important in your marketing efforts, you shouldn’t forget about developing and improving your products to reach a certain level of quality that would satisfy your customers. Moreover, your marketing tactics shouldn’t outshine your business; they should only be used to spark interest and to entice potential customers.

It takes a lot of effort to keep your branding consistent. And in the midst of that, you should not forget to deliver your promises. Make sure that you have quality products worth their money and professional staffing to assist them in every stage of their purchasing journey.