If you were to seek advice on improving your business, you would likely be told that you need to "build your brand" or create "brand awareness".
Typically this means spending money on a fancy logo and generally telling the marketplace what a great business you are. If you do this, you are following the lead set by many, many corporate type companies.
But is this the best way for you as a small carpet cleaner to get more sales?
I was intrigued a while ago while watching a football game to see that travel agent Thomas Cook had changed their logo. It was on one of the electronic billboards.
A bit of research on the internet revealed more:
- This week the Thomas Cook Group unveiled the next stage in its journey back from the edge of a financial abyss: a new corporate identity known as the "Sunny Heart"
- According to the firm, "The new, unified brand captures the essence of Thomas Cook: how it delivers inspiring personal journeys as the trusted pioneer in global travel." (The Independent)
- Thomas Cook says that the new visual identity and branding looks to reflect the "warmth and approachability", "trust and personalisation" and "message of High Tech, High Touch of the brand.
- Tour operator Thomas Cook has ditched the globe logo it first used in 1880, replacing it with a 'Sunny Heart', as the tour operator continues its recovery from near collapse. The 172-year-old firm unveiled the design alongside a new slogan - 'Let's Go' - spelling the end for its famous motto 'Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it.' The rebranding is part of a root-and-branch overhaul by new boss Harriet Green, who was recruited last year to save the household name from collapse, after it was bailed out by its banks. (Daily Mail)
You'll notice that in response to near collapse, they have decided that the answer is... a new logo!
But surely the most important question of all is... will this lead to SALES?
Let's ask one of its valued customers... ME!
I've travelled with Thomas Cook twice in the last 18 months. What has been my experience? On a recent trip to Mexico the transfer took two and a half hours arriving at my hotel at the equivalent of two in the morning. The problem? The advertised transfer was one hour. The previous year with a rival firm was 35 minutes. Apparently they had crammed in more drop-off points before ours!
On a previous holiday to Egypt, they cancelled an entire plane leaving passengers bound for Manchester to travel via Gatwick. An add-on of several hours! Incredibly they didn't let the Manchester bound passengers know until they got to the airport in Egypt. It also meant that although I had pre-booked a window seat, I ended up sitting in the centre row.
I decided there and then that I would NOT travel with this company again unless I had very little choice.
Would the money spent on "re-branding" not be better spent on improving the experience for the customer? Frankly I don't care about their logo or their "trust and personalisation" or their "warmth and approachability." But I do care about getting what I've paid for. A re-brand ("new pretty logo") does not fool me!
So what brand strategy should you follow?
- Forget "brand awareness" You don't know whether it's successful or not as it can't be measured.
- Forget advertising to simply remind people of your existence. Killer advertising is simply salesmanship multiplied according to copywriter Gary Halbert
- A good ad will work the first time. They don't need to see it 7, 15 or 20 times
- Don't be fooled that a brand is the most important thing. The people who give you money are!
- Forget "clever" advertising with just your "image" displayed. If your salesman acted strange or did a silly dance and then mentioned the name of your company at the end you wouldn't want it. Instead you want them to find out what the persons problem is, what their objections are and present your product as the best solution. That's salesmanship!
I'll give the last word to Claude Hopkins who wrote about silly logo's and image type advertising this way: "Instead of sales, they seek applause".
I say... let them have the applause - my bank doesn't accept it!