"Branding is just a logo"
“Branding is unnecessary for B2B / manufacturers. It’s only for consumer brands.”
“Our product quality should speak for itself.”
“Branding is the responsibility of our marketing person.”
These are the common misconceptions our brand team hears from manufacturing clients when asked about their brand strategy. They are wrong. Here’s what they should be saying.
"Our brand is our reputation."
"Branding is integral to our strategic planning and goals."
“Our products should deliver on our brand promise.”
"Branding is a team sport that involves every department, from sales to customer service to product development."
Here's the bottom line. A company's brand is an intangible yet valued asset of every company, no matter the industry, customer, product, or service. Your brand is your starting point. It should inform your strategic plan, not the other way around.
The Benefits of Branding in Manufacturing
A recent survey conducted by BCG and Google found that branding can be just as effective for B2B companies as B2C companies—if not more so. B2B companies with strong brands show a 74% higher return on their brand marketing investment and hold a 46% larger market share than companies that don't uplift their brand. In another study, 77% of B2B marketing leaders say branding is critical to growth. This data underscores the potential for sustainability and success that effective branding can bring to manufacturing companies.
We've observed that the manufacturing industry, especially smaller manufacturers, often overlooks the power of branding. However, a well-executed rebranding or brand refresh can significantly impact a B2B customer's perception when comparing brands. Here are the benefits our clients have experienced when they prioritize their brand.
Market Differentiation/Competitive Edge
Branding helps manufacturers distinguish their products and build a unique identity in the market. Part of branding is articulating differentiation in a memorable and resonant way. This distinction can be based on quality, reliability, innovation, or any other distinct product/service feature. The most successful brands find and amplify the messages and images that describe their company’s unique qualities. Branding helps manufacturers establish themselves as industry leaders and gain a competitive edge.
Engage Customers
Many manufacturers forget that their customers are people first and business-focused second. Powerful brands communicate their values, mission, and vision. Branding helps create a compelling story that humans can relate to. In addition, a strong brand is built on the perception of quality and reliability, which is especially important in industries where authenticity is paramount. Intentional branding builds customer trust and loyalty, which leads to increased sales and revenue.
Perceived Product Value/Extension Opportunities
Strong branding enhances the perceived value of a company’s products. B2B customers are often willing to pay a premium for certain brands because they associate the brand with quality, reliability, innovation, customer service, and other desirable attributes. A strong brand can also be leveraged to introduce new items or expand into new markets. Customers are more likely to try new products from a brand they already trust and recognize.
Long-Term Sustainability
Investing in branding can provide manufacturers with a sustainable competitive advantage. While products and technologies may become obsolete, a strong brand can endure and adapt to changing market conditions.
Understanding the significance of branding in manufacturing is crucial for long-term success. It’s not just about creating a logo or a catchy slogan but rather about building a brand identity that resonates with stakeholders.
Key Components of Branding for Manufacturers
For manufacturers, effective branding can transform a product from a mere commodity into a sought-after product or service. This section explores the fundamental concepts of branding.
Positioning
If you're a manufacturer and look at your competition and say, "We're all basically the same," dig deeper. Figure out or develop what differentiates your brand so you have something to build on. This is brand positioning.
Brand positioning is the space that a brand holds in the minds of customers and how it’s distinct from competitors' brands. It’s about carving out a unique niche in the market and influencing customer perception around that expertise. Positioning emphasizes how a brand stands out relative to competitors. Many B2B customers choose a brand because of the features or benefits that set it apart and make it extraordinary. Brand positioning ensures your brand is top-of-mind when customers consider a particular product category.
Unique Value Proposition
Related to brand positioning is your unique value proposition (UVP). UVP is the specific benefit and advantage your products or services offer customers, setting you apart from competitors. A UVP is a succinct and memorable statement that explains your brand's benefits, how it solves your customers' problems or improves their lives, and why it's superior to other alternatives. Your UVP highlights your brand's tangible value to your customers. At the end of the day, your UVP is a promise. It’s your clear and compelling promise to your customers of the value and benefits you’ll deliver through your products or services.
Target Audiences/Customer Journey
To build a strong brand, manufacturers must take the time to understand their target customers and how they make purchasing decisions. This is more than knowing what companies they work for and their budget. You need to gather comprehensive and specific information about your target audience to effectively tailor your product development, brand messaging, and overall business operations.
Here's a breakdown of the crucial information needed to understand a manufacturing customer and their buyer's journey.
- Demographic Information: Age, Gender, Education, Occupation, Location, Title
- Psychographic Information: Lifestyle, Values and Beliefs, Personality Traits, Buying Habits
- Firmographic Information: Industry, Company Size, Location, Business Model, Organizational Structure, and Decision-Making
- Technographic Information: Current Technology Stack, Innovation Openness/Adoption
- Behavioral Information: Product Usage, Brand Loyalty, Purchase History, Feedback and Reviews
- Channels of Communication: Preferred Communication Channels, Engagement Preferences
When you understand these details about your target audience, you’ll save time and resources. You can do this by focusing only on the elements that matter to them. It's common for manufacturers to think they need consumer-facing channels like social media or an e-commerce platform, even if their target audiences primarily buy through sales meetings, buying groups or distributors.
With manufacturing, there is often the entire supply chain to consider. That means multiple customers in one company influence the purchasing decision. These people could include the purchasing manager, the end user, the finance team, the executive team, the distributor/dealer, and more. Individual target audience profiles for each customer can be helpful in developing products that address multiple priorities.
Understanding these details about your target audience lets you design products that meet your customers' needs. It also helps you create engaging marketing and improve customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty, which drives sales and business growth.
Brand Messaging
Manufacturers are experts at making things, and their work is highly technical. Making great products is essential to a brand. However, knowing how to talk about them and focus on what matters to your audiences is also critical, yet often neglected. This is where intentional and strategic brand messaging is powerful.
The goal of brand messaging is to explain your specific products as simply as possible and through the lens of your overall brand. The old adage "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" applies here.
Your brand message should also be unique and memorable. For example, if your brand message is "We provide high-quality products and excellent customer service, and to do it with integrity," START OVER. Anyone can say that. High-quality products and excellent customer service should be given, not differentiators.
Brand messaging includes tone of voice, core messages, taglines, headlines, calls to action, and more.
- Tone of Voice: In written and spoken communications, your tone of voice should reflect your brand's values and personality. For B2B brands, this often means a more formal, authoritative, and informative tone, though it can be adjusted based on the industry and audience.
- Messaging and Taglines: Core messages and taglines encapsulate your brand’s UVP and key differentiators. These should be clear, concise, and relevant to your target audience.
- Calls-to-Action: CTAs are essential in B2B marketing and communications. They prompt potential clients to take specific steps to engage with your brand. Effective CTAs for B2B brands are clear, compelling, and aligned with your target audience's decision-making process.
Dig deep and create messages that are authentic to your mission, values, and UVP. Use words that’ll pique your target audience's interest. Then, weave that messaging creatively into every internal and external communication touchpoint, repeating it often.
Visual Identity and Expression
Visual identity and expression for B2B brands encompass the visual elements and overall aesthetic that communicate a company's brand to its audience. A brand is most recognizable through its logo or website. But manufacturers often think that brand visuals are unnecessary fluff. They hang onto tired, poorly designed logos and outdated websites because they don't believe their customers care about these things.
But regardless of whether customers care about branding—they're certainly influenced by it. Mediocre and inconsistent brand expression suggests mediocrity and inconsistency elsewhere. In contrast, a modern, well-designed visual identity, consistently expressed, conveys a modern, well-designed business operation.
Here are the most common components of a brand’s visual identity and expression.
- Logo: The logo is the cornerstone of your brand's visual identity. For B2B brands, your logo should be professional, notable, and versatile, capable of being used across various media and applications.
- Color Palette: The color palette includes primary and secondary colors used in all branding materials. B2B brands often choose colors that convey reliability, professionalism, and industry relevance. For example, blue is commonly used because it’s associated with trust and stability.
- Typography: The fonts and typefaces used in all brand communications should be consistent and reflect your brand's personality. B2B brands typically opt for clean, easy-to-read fonts that convey professionalism and clarity.
- Imagery and Photography: The style of images and photographs used should align with your brand's message. B2B brands often use high-quality, industry-specific images that reflect the expertise and the professional nature of their services.
- Graphics and Icons: Custom graphics and icons can enhance communication by visually representing complex ideas or processes. These should be consistent in style and color with your overall brand identity.
- Layout and Design Principles: Consistent layout and design principles help maintain a uniform look across all digital or print materials. This includes spacing, alignment, and the use of grids.
- Content Style: Your style and approach to content, whether technical documentation, blog posts, whitepapers, or social media updates, should be consistent and align with your brand's overall tone and messaging.
- Presentation Templates: Standardized templates for presentations ensure consistency in internal and external communications. These should incorporate your brand’s visual elements and layout guidelines.
- Website and Digital Presence: The design and user experience of your company’s website and digital platforms should reflect your brand’s visual identity and messaging and be optimized for your target audience, providing a seamless and professional experience.
Consistency is Critical in B2B Branding
An authentic brand is consistent across all internal and external communication platforms. Being consistent helps stakeholders recognize your brand. They’ll associate it with the desired traits and want to engage with your products and services.
Start by defining your visual brand guidelines. They include key brand elements: your logo, colors, fonts, images, and graphics. Use these rules for all marketing and sales materials. This includes your website, social media, packaging, and ads.
Yet, consistency should extend beyond visual elements. Ensure that your brand messaging and values are consistent across all platforms. This means consistently using the same key messages and communicating your brand's unique selling points. Messaging consistency should also extend to internal communications and company policies.
Maintaining a consistent brand image builds credibility and trust with stakeholders. They’ll come to recognize your brand and have confidence in the quality and reliability of your business.
Working with Advertising Partners
Zochem, a Phase 3 client that manufactures zinc oxide, was eager to expand into new markets to grow its business. The brand team developed a unique brand strategy that positioned it as "a trusted advisor to procurement in mature and emerging industries."
This strategy was successful for Zochem on several levels:
- It dials in on a very specific member of their target audience, the procurement professional. Remember, if you’re talking to everybody, you might as well be talking to no one.
- Because zinc oxide is viewed as a commodity, positioning Zochem as an "advisor" is unique. It goes above and beyond what's expected from a supplier of zinc oxide. In addition, advisory services are something that startups in emerging industries really value.
- The team coined the tagline "The Four C's," focusing on Consistency, Continuity, Communication, and Consultation. The phrase was woven into all of Zochem's messaging and marketing. The repetition reinforced and bolstered its position as a trusted advisor. By becoming a customer's trusted advisor, Zochem offers more than a commodity. This makes Zochem indispensable and more challenging to replace, increasing their customer retention rates.
The Wirtgen Group is another excellent example of a company that leverages its brand for operational success. Everyone at Wirtgen lives out their brand motto, "Close to our customers," daily, putting hospitality and customer care at the center of everything they do. They're absolute sticklers about brand integrity, adhering to rigorous brand guidelines. Everyone in the organization understands that consistency in branding reflects on the consistency of their manufacturing. The quality of their branding reflects the quality of their machines. It's a real point of pride for the Wirtgen Group and its loyal customers.
In Conclusion
In the manufacturing industry, misconceptions about branding can hinder growth and market positioning. Branding is more than just a logo or a task for marketers. It's a vital part of business planning that pervades every part of an organization. Successful B2B brands view their brand as their reputation. It influences customer perception, employee engagement, and competitive positioning.
As demonstrated by companies like Zochem and the Wirtgen Group, a strong, consistent brand identity builds trust and loyalty, positioning companies as leaders in their field. Thoughtful branding lets manufacturers move beyond being commodities. It allows them to create lasting connections with their customers. A robust brand strategy not only supports immediate business goals but also lays the foundation for enduring success in an ever-evolving market.
If you’d like Phase 3’s brand team to help you recognize your brand as a valuable asset and make it central to your business growth strategy, schedule a discovery call today.