Pragmatic Marketing features an interesting and thought-provoking post by David Meerman Scott titled
Branding is for Cattle. While I agree that the notion of branding in the context of technology marketing is often misunderstood, dismissing branding altogether is the easy way out. Branding is still important; the challenge is finding a way to make it relevant in the context of technology marketing.
Branding is not about glossy print ads. It’s not about logos and colors. It’s about creating a connection between companies and buyers. It’s about communicating value. It’s about the consistency of focusing on the customer through every interaction.
Here is the real question in my mind: can branding help sales? If done right, I think it can.
Read this article to see how.
What is your take?
1 comment:
Eran:
I agree that Branding is about making he buyer-seller connection, and also about reputation and recognition, but it is much more than these also. You're right in your article to make the connection to lead gen productivity that a "known brand" can help enhance. In addition to lead efficiency that you mention in your newsletter, it can also reduce sales cycle time, improve customer retention (customers tend to be more forgiving of brand names) and increase revenue per deal.
My co-professor and I at GMU's Graduate Management School are delving into this issue (and others) at a professional development course coming up in May, Corporate Brand Strategy: Accelerating Company Growth as well as on our B2B Marketing Excellence blog. Feel free to spread the word and I look forward to good dialog on this subject in the future.
My take on the issue of "brands being more than a logo" is covered in this blog post. I'd love to know your thoughts.
Dana Theus
B2B Marketing Excellence
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