Welcome back to our continuing series on the various attributes and factors you’ll need to consider when designing your direct letterbox marketing. Today we’re going to just go ahead and look at the importance of branding.
Ok, when you hear someone say ‘branding’ it’s usually a smug marketing manager who throws words like that around before most of us have even had our breakfast. But despite those connotations, building a distinctive brand identity is, all told, a pretty important part of any company and their campaigns.
Picture a regular bottle of Coca Cola. Even if you don’t touch the black stuff, you’ll still be able to visualise the curves of the bottle, the red packaging and the familiar cursive font. You know where else those all appear? Everywhere. On Coke’s website, direct mail-outs, billboards, Facebook, and Twitter. In fact, you could argue that for some there’s a weirdly comforting aspect to it all. They know where they stand with Coke, it’s like spending time with an old friend.
And that’s an important factor too. Your brand identity isn’t just about uniforming everything – it’s about sending out a clear message about who you are.
Ask yourself this: Who are McDonald’s? If they’ve done their jobs right, you’ll think of them as family-friendly, environmentally aware – both eco-friendly, and sourcing products from British farmers – and comforting. After all, as the adverts said, ‘A visit to McDonald’s makes your day.’
If you’re an observant type you’ll also notice that brand identity creeping into restaurants. On the interior walls, look for photographs of kids and homemade-style fonts, and retro coloured chairs. No longer do MaccyD’s have red signage with yellow writing outside. These days you’re more likely to see white on green. Green being associated with a healthy, environmentally-friendly outlook. Of course, we’ll look more closely at the importance of colour and what that means for your direct marketing in our next blog.
These are all big name brands, right? But that doesn’t mean the local butcher or an independent law firm in Manchester can’t mimic those techniques. First, know what your company stands for – what’s the ethos, and what’s the best way of showing that? What differentiates you from your competitors? What colours and fonts define your company? And are they reflected across all aspects, right down to the heading on the office paper? Making sure all of that is in place can really help your company get recognised by those who really count – your customers. By building a strong brand you also build a strong user base.
Here at Direct Letterbox Marketing we take pride in our services – from demographic profiling to get your message to the right people, to dedicated leaflet distribution. For more information on our services, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0800 028 6353 or email us at enquiries@directletterboxmarketing.co.uk.
