The Psychology of Branding

Most businesses starting out don’t recognize the significance of branding in regard to marketing. Branding, to put it simply, is to give your service or product an identity; something that is recognizable to consumers and competitors. When you brand you are creating a symbol, name or design that differentiates you from the others in your industry.

Subliminal Messages

This is best done through subliminal messages while still using features of marketing that subconsciously impact consumers and potential customers. Most of the prominent and successful brands you see today use psychology to impact their consumers with effective marketing material.

This is achieved through using specific colors and images to distinguish their brand, promoting their services or products through promotional values, give-aways, and sales. This also heavily achieved through the use of a fabricated lifestyle framed around what they offer.

Creating a Desirable and Attainable Lifestyle

Knowing your target audience is essential to this aspect of marketing a lifestyle. The demographic plays a big role in how well your audience will respond to what you are promoting. There should be consistency within the message being sent to the target audience to plant a seed in their minds as well as create something that is memorable within their subconscious. The personal perception of the brand is the most integral part of a brand’s selling power. When you are able to create demand for a supply that isn’t necessarily essential, but deemed as desired or attractive, this is the driving force behind brands that have become household names. This is also what drives the bulk of their sales.

That’s when you know you have reached industry leadership. When the message of a brand is perceived as something that is easily assimilated into a consumer’s lifestyle, they begin to identify with the brand and become a repeat customer as a result. It is important that when showcasing a lifestyle, you fully grasp what is so appealing about it and get that across to your target audience.

You Get What You Give

Customer satisfaction can be defined as a consumer purchasing a product that fulfills his needs and the certain amount of expectation he has for the brand he is buying. When those needs and expectations are met, this in turn creates a demand for that brand as a result and the retention of a customer for that brand. If the business is perceived as having the ability to give something to the consumer then in turn the customer gives back by purchasing. This can transform into a term called brand loyalty. Brand loyalty exists only when a consumer has a high opinion towards a certain brand exhibited through the action of repurchasing.

This translates into a cycle of repeat consumption. By appealing to potential customers psychologically, you are giving your brand the power to impact the lives and actions of those interested in what you are offering. When you foster a good relationship with customers you are feeding the process of transformation and in turn gaining more customers as a result.

Quality Customer Service is Key

There are other qualities that help shape the big players you see today, one being good quality customer service. If a business has poor customer service, 89% of people have said they would not return no matter the quality of the product. Giving consumers the ability to feel important is significant to the buying process, you must cater to their needs as they will give you what you need in return.

There is also truth to consumers associating a certain brand with a particular service based on the persona or message that brand conveys. If a brand is depicted as luxurious or elite, the highest customer service and care is anticipated to match this image. If that is not the case, this can deeply influence a consumer’s perception of how legitimate or desirable this brand is to them and the general public. The opposite applies, if a brand has a customer service policy that matches the brand in question’s reputation, this can do a lot for the way the brand is received by those interested in purchasing products or services from the place of business.

Colors are a Must

Another prominent technique is using attractive ad imagery and ad copy to appeal to the target audience. The three key factors in marketing imagery are icons, type face (font), and a color palette. People associate a brand and their products or services on these features. Depending on the industry your business is in, it is important to capture the essence of what your ideal consumer would want through these factors and the image the product gives them. A study called Exciting “Red and Competent Blue” supports the idea that purchasing patterns are significantly prompted by colors due to their impact on brand perception. This translates to colors having a role in the way consumers define a brand’s persona. Based on their opinion of the brand and what it offers in terms of a persona to those wearing or using their products/services, they will deem it worthy of their purchase or not.

In plain English, to articulate that they must possess this product or use this service and if they don’t they are truly missing out on something living changing. Sounds dramatic, but that is the experience most people have with their favorite retail items and repeat services that have become habitual after a certain point of consumption.

Add Fuel to the Fire

By giving off the illusion of high-demand, you are not only perking the interest of a potential consumer, but also a sense of urgency that develops once they know they don’t have that item and seemingly so many others do. Popular demand is a great tool to use for purchasing growth.

By having a quality product and understanding the mind of the ideal customer and your wider target audience, you are able to not only attract new buyers, but keep them coming back to your place of business and make a customer for life.