Why Your Brand Is Your Best Investment For High Returns – Forbes

Think about some of the brand names you’ve come to know and love: Apple, Amazon, Nike, Coca-Cola. Just saying these names can evoke images, emotions and sometimes even cravings. You get instant satisfaction just thinking about the brands you enjoy buying from or working with.

But these brands weren’t built with a single marketing campaign. It took years of investment in the brands themselves to get to the point they’re at now.

This is something I’ve personally struggled with while building my business. It’s easy to focus on the return on investment in every marketing campaign you deliver, but rarely does that small-scope attitude translate into big-name brand building. For seriously high returns, you need to invest in the brand itself.

What does it mean to invest in brand identity?

Your brand’s identity is more than just what you sell customers. It’s not even the benefits you can provide your clients or the results they can expect from working with you. A brand identity is something much more personal than just benefits and solutions. It’s who you are.

Let’s take Disney, for example. Disney’s brand is not movies or theme parks. It’s the magical storytelling abilities that create emotional connections with consumers. With each marketing campaign Disney runs, it is not focusing on selling just a movie, a ride or a product. Instead, it is selling the experience.

In other words, Disney is using its marketing to invest in its brand identity – not just to sell more products.

Why is investing in your brand so important?

When you invest in your brand, rather than just a product or campaign, you’re giving your audience a long-term connection with your business. This means you’ll have a preset group of interested buyers each time you introduce something new.

Let’s go back to Disney. While Disney spends loads of money on marketing and product development, having its logo connected with what it’s putting out to the market gives it an instant boost. Its audience knows what they’re getting – a high-quality, magical experience.

When the campaign stops or the products are purchased, the consumer’s relationship with the business doesn’t end. That’s because Disney has a brand, not just a business.

Investing in your brand can bring similar returns. When you have a brand to back what your business provides, your brand image can give your marketing campaigns, products and other business endeavors instant validation.

A high-quality brand can also bring you better customers. When customers feel a connection with your business, they’ll buy time and time again. Because it costs less money to convert past customers than convince new ones to purchase, investing in your brand can save you money in the long run.

Customers who value your brand will also pay a premium for your products. When you have a powerful brand attached to your products or services, customers will know they’re getting a quality item and will be willing to pay higher prices.

Not only will they pay a premium, but they’ll be faster to buy. With a great brand, you’ll need to do less convincing to sell. This gives your sales team an advantage and allows you to sell more products, again boosting your bottom line.

How does a great brand impact your return on investment?

Marketing or selling without a brand means you’re constantly starting and stopping campaigns. With each new campaign you run or sales strategy you try, you’re starting from scratch. You need to find and convince an entirely new audience that your products or services are worth what you’re asking for.

However, when you have a high-quality brand, your campaigns build off the last. Each campaign is an investment in getting to know your audience better and giving them what they’re looking for. When you’re able to make that connection, you’ll spend less money over time on marketing and sales.

To truly get the most of your investment, focus on building a brand – not just selling a product. To bring consistent branding throughout your various channels, start with your visual brand. Select colors, a logo and other visual standards that help your audience identify when something belongs to you.

Next, focus on your language and messaging. Using the same tone, understanding and perspective throughout your written content can evoke the brand feeling you’re hoping to create. By consistently using the same language and messaging, your audience will develop their expectations of your brand and resonate more strongly with your business.

Through weaving your brand identity throughout everything you do, you can make more money over time and reap all the benefits that a high-quality brand can provide.

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