Written by the The Melotti Media Team, checked by Christopher Melotti
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“Tell me the brands you love.”
How great would it be if your brand was the first name that came up when your customers heard this? Wouldn’t that be perfect?
The question is, how?
In today’s saturated market where everyone and everything is growing and evolving, the noise and clutter can be overwhelming to customers.
This makes them desperate to find a brand that they can actually connect with and when they do, they cling to these brands.
The reality about today’s marketing is:
- It’s more challenging to connect with your human customers nowadays
- But it’s also an opportunity to build a brand that will truly resonate with them
So, going back to how: the answer.
Strong branding has fundamental pillars – which, when executed well, will take your branding game to a whole new level and allow you to connect with your audiences on a human and emotional level.
These pillars, which we call “the 10 Cs of branding”, will allow you to build a strong brand that your customers will love and that you will be absolutely proud of.
Here are the 10 steps to a robust brand.
What are the 10 Cs of strong branding?
So, what makes up a strong brand?
Strong brands are those that the customers remember amidst all the noise and clutter out there – this is what ticking the 10 Cs does for your brand. They give you a strong image, a chance to connect and the opportunity to get the results you want.
These Cs are as follows:
Do I need all 10?! – you might ask.
YES! But it’s more achievable than you think.
Why do you need the 10 Cs to strengthen your brand?
As a number of brands surface and share content across the internet, the need for your brand to stand out and remain top of mind intensifies. This means that you must put extra effort into remaining attractive, relevant and relatable to your audiences.
To do this, you need a strong brand that truly highlights the value you offer.
Here are just some of the key benefits of building a strong brand:
A strong brand differentiates you from competitors.
By strongly conveying your brand’s values, personality and unique selling points (USPs), you can increase brand recognition and recall, thus allowing your audiences to naturally compare your brand with others within your industry – this is where a strong brand works in your favour.
Both your team and your customers can align with a strong brand.
Emotional connections matter in branding – a lot. If your own team identifies with your brand, it will make them feel proud of representing the business and strive towards creating meaningful experiences for your customers. This then, allows your customers to experience your brand and your culture, which naturally draws them in.
Strong branding also increases your perceived value.
Customers associate strong brands with higher value. As such, investing in strong branding gives your business a higher perceived value and allows you to attract customers who are willing to pay more.
All these can be achieved by following the 10 Cs – so, let’s break them down.
Tick off as many of these branding attributes as possible:
These are the 10 Branding Cs that you need to make sure that your brand gets the attention that it deserves from the people who matter the most – your precious customers.
1. Competency
Anyone can make promises, but strong brands are those that are capable of delivering on these promises, exactly how they say they will.
The brands that are remembered are those that tick all the boxes and do what is required and expected of them. Competency is crucial to branding because that’s what people want to invest in.
Take Canva, for example, which, true to its promise, makes it possible to design anything and create impactful designs. As an easy-to-use graphic design tool that has since become the platform of choice, Canva builds on a strong brand.
At Melotti Media, we take our promise to make brands relevant to their customers seriously through strategic message consulting, marketing strategy and copywriting services.
Competency needs to be felt from the first time see your brand up to the moment they experience your service (and beyond).
2. Credibility
This is the part where you need to provide proof of competency.
You can’t just tell your customers you’re good – you have to show them so they believe it.
To do this, it helps to share testimonials, case studies and extensive portfolios. This allows you to showcase your work and show customers how competent you are – through the work that you’ve done.
This is why online reviews make or break the brand – making Google Reviews, Trustpilot ratings, Yelp, Clutch and other review platforms a go-to for customers who are starting to make decisions. It also helps to share these reviews and testimonials on your personal website as social proof – so they’re there to help your customers make the decision to choose your brand.
3. Creativity
A constant flow of innovation and creativity sets strong brands apart.
It appeals to customers and shows them how far a brand is willing to strive to keep earning customer attention and remain relevant to them.
For instance, just think about the vegeknife that Vegemite launched – creative, practical and impactful!
At Melotti Media, we make it a point to innovate and launch new services that match the unique needs of our customers: this is what our unique Core Messaging Document, Innovation Consulting, Seasonal Advertising Campaigns and other services are for.
4. Clarity
Another factor that strengthens brands is clarity.
The more concise you show your value, the easier it will be for customers to connect with your brand as clarity means there’s no confusion – both internally and publicly.
If you’re not super clear about your value proposition, your brand vision or mission, how do you expect your customers to understand you?
A strong brand is clear about what makes it different and it articulates this through brand messaging, visuals, design and name, across all touchpoints.
Seek’s value proposition is clear: it’s all about finding a job match in a convenient way – and that’s exactly what the platform does.
Likewise, our team at Melotti Media articulates our value offerings as clearly as possible – so our customers can get us.
5. Consistency
As cliché as it sounds, consistency is one of the most important attributes of a strong brand – because consistent brands are memorable.
A strong brand isn’t built overnight, which means it takes time and consistent effort to build a brand that will appeal to audiences. But it’s worth the repetition.
Consistent brands can be seen in their tone, image, and more.
It’s almost like you want to be BORED of your own branding! Yes, because the more consistently you promote it, with the same language, visuals and approach, the more it sticks in people’s minds.
People will struggle to build a clear attachment to an inconsistent brand.
Think about Melotti Media. What do you think all the orange is for? We want to be associated with the colour and the vibrance that it gives – the same reason that allows us to recognise the Nike logo and the “just do it” tagline anywhere.
6. Connectivity
Next on our list is connectivity.
This is about being proactive and creating connections where it matters, allowing different stakeholders to recognise the value of the brand and appreciate the offerings in the best ways possible.
This is why Qantas has a Frequent Flyer program that rewards loyal customers. This helps brands encourage customer loyalty and show how much they care at the same time.
When a brand focuses on connectivity, it builds a strong and loyal network which improves the longevity and strength of its brand positioning.
For us at Melotti Media, making genuine connections is also among our top priorities. We put in a lot of effort and find joy in hearing people say: “Oh I know your brand!” – which is why Chris is often seen at socialising at networking events – and more often than not, he’s wearing our vibrant orange!
7. Community
Then, the seventh C is for community.
People love brands that care and make an impact on society.
There’s nothing more compelling than a brand that gives twice with every purchase: once to the customer and once to the community and environment that the customer belongs to.
This is why promotions that say “proceeds go to charity” work – it taps into the altruistic nature of human beings and allows brands to build a strong emotional connection.
Take Koko Black’s Australian Critters Collection which promises to donate $2 from the sale of each pack towards the support and conservation of Australian wildlife – this is a feel-good campaign that makes people think: this is more than just buying chocolate – and this feeling works wonders for strengthening brands.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) also contributes to strong branding – because it helps customers feel that when they support you, they are supporting various causes too.
At Melotti Media, we love giving back – for so many great reasons!
8. Customer-Centric
The 8th C is pretty much self-explanatory.
Brands are strong when they are obsessed with their customers.
We don’t mean blindly following them, but by remembering that they are the ones with whom you are targeting. Their feedback matters, their reactions matter and the way they “vote” with their time and money matters.
Ikea, for example, is known for providing immersive in-store customer experiences which encourages people to visit, browse and enjoy as they shop through carefully curated furnished spaces. Even the Ikea Place app captures this experience with an interactive feature that allows users to virtually place 3D models of furniture in their own space.
For us at Melotti Media, we make sure to begin the journey by showing that we understand our clients’ unique pain points. From there, we connect with them and design bespoke solutions that will help them achieve their goals – making sure that they feel our signature care and expertise throughout the process.
So, as you want your branding to appeal to your ideal customers, you want to show not just who you are but also what you can do for them.
Highlight your solutions, show your customers the benefits of your product/service and make them experience your brand. When you’re across the entire customer journey, they will remember how your brand made them feel.
9. Consolidated
How unified are all of the touch points of your brand?
All of these branding elements will only work when your customers see all of them as one consolidated brand.
For instance, Apple’s branding is just one entity and position in most people’s minds.
However, Apple works tirelessly across websites, social media, events, products, press releases and more to build a complete image of a brand that people remember. They’re a consolidated brand without any inconsistencies. It’s all flawlessly uniform.
As a business or marketing professional, you KNOW that it requires so many factors to bring a strong brand together – but your customers need to experience this in a way that builds the complete picture for them.
At Melotti Media, we make sure that all our materials across all platforms truly reflect who we are – vibrant, energetic and passionate about empowering brands.
So, whether our audiences find us through our website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, BOA or even meet Chris in person, we make sure they get Melotti Media experience and immediately recognise our brand.
All your branding efforts need to be united, otherwise, it will be challenging for people to easily identify your brand when they encounter it.
10. Championship
Finally, there’s brand championship.
What is it that your brand stands for? Supporting lifestyles? Empowering people? Making a difference?
Whatever that is, you have to let your branding reflect it and appeal to the people who have the same vision or mantra.
An example of this is how Dove champions women empowerment and creating campaigns that highlight how all women are beautiful – this campaign comes in different forms, but the message is always the same: “making beauty a source of confidence, not anxiety.”
At Melotti Media, we go beyond copywriting and are passionate about creating meaningful human connections that result in demand-generating content that allow our clients to connect with their human audiences.
We champion this cause, not just through our words but through the experience that our clients whenever they work with our team.
When your brand champions a lifestyle, a cause, a feeling or a value, then it stands for something. That creates a powerful sense of relatability.
So, if you’re all about bringing value and educating people, go for it and let them see it. This will then position you as an industry leader and the brand of choice for your customers.
Use the 10 Cs of strong branding to win your customers’ hearts
With a strong brand, you can find, attract and retain customers who will give you the results that you need.
As your customers get bombarded with content, ideas and campaigns, your goal is to give them something to hold on to – a strong brand that they can resonate with and make them feel that they are more than just numbers that the business needs.
Your brand serves as your guiding principle. As such, you want to make sure that it
- reflects what your brand truly is,
- unites your team with a common purpose
- and reaches your customers in ways you can be proud of.
As saturated as the market is, there are still ways to connect with your customers that work – just make sure that you master the 10 Cs for your branding, and the rest will follow.
How can Melotti Media help your business achieve success through strong branding?
At Melotti Media, we understand that you want to get cut through in a competitive market and achieve business success – and a powerful way to do this is to build a strong brand that your customers will fall in love with.
However, you may find that you’re time-poor and spread thin or you still have a lot of unanswered questions.
You don’t need to worry.
At Melotti Media, we can assist with all your creative advertising concept ideas while you focus on what matters most to you – growing your business.
Let’s start earning the results your business deserves!
To speak to your trusted message marketers and copywriters, email us at enquire@melottimedia.com.au or phone 1800 663 342.
We can sharpen your words to achieve your goals today!
The Melotti Media Team
Melotti Media | Copywriting & Message Marketing Bureau
www.melottimedia.com.au
