The Importance of Brand
image credit: missmac via Flickr
The word “brand” is not something we talk about much in the world of bookselling. Perhaps it smacks too much of “MBA think” and corporate lingo. But I think it’s time to bring the discussion to the forefront. Because your “brand”, your story, is what should determine your online strategy.
What is your brand?
Many marketers say that your brand is whatever your customers say it is; that in fact you have very little control over your brand. You can refine your logo and your slogan and your advertising, but if the customer’s perception of your business differs from your vision, your brand won’t work.
We have a local restaurant in the center of town that has been here for at least 20 years. They are constantly trying to reinvent themselves. In the past few years, they’ve tried to make themselves into a place for brunch buffets, a “contemporary American bar and grille”, a place for pizza … and none of those things seems to have worked. When you go in there, people are ordering meatloaf, and turkey dinners, and eggs over easy. The “brand” to the customer is “comfort food,” and “diner.” In the meantime, the restaurant is trying to compete with the many chain restaurants that line the retail strip a few miles away. I have to wonder if business would improve if this place embraced their “homestyle” brand and maximized it. Especially since there are few such restaurants around anymore.
What is your store’s brand? What do your customers identify as your brand? Do the two coincide?
