7 Characteristics of highly successful brands

Launching a successful brand is no easy feat. It requires more than just the world’s best branding agency. Taking a holistic view of not only how you see your business, but also how your employees and customers experience your brand can be an introspective journey that leads to some periods of self-reflection and the need for taking multiple perspectives.

If you’ve been in business for over 5 years and you know your offering has evolved, then set yourself up for success with these 7 characteristics of highly successful brands.

1. Meaning behind the successful brand name

You may search far and wide for a domain name that’s catchy, easy to say, and affordable, but what is the etymology of the actual word? And how is that word tied to your business? Having a story to tell about what the brand name means gives it depth and value. Sharing the “why” behind the name may seem trite, but doing so enables people to appreciate the depth of meaning. When there’s depth of meaning behind something, there’s a reason to want to be involved, leading to an increase in your member’s brand affiliation.

2. Rebranding galvanizes internal team energy

A rebrand is largely seen as a change in how the outside world perceives you. Perhaps more importantly however, a rebrand represents a juncture in a company’s life and offers a moment to galvanize the internal team energy of your entire organization. 

Use your successful brand launch to reaffirm your collective mission, and ensure collective alignment on a clearly communicated brand identity. You’re not going to have the opportunity to rebrand often. Unlike a Slack message, you cannot simply click “edit” after the new logo, colors and brand name have been published. Invest time in how you will communicate to your internal team, and specifically, how the rebrand supports your shared mission.

Internal team galvanization can be especially important as permanent remote work now proliferates in the business world. You have less opportunity to take the temperature of the office culture with fewer in-person gatherings. Presenting the vision internally will tell every member of your team that they are important enough to be briefed on the project. Your team will know and feel that their voice has been heard.

If you have plans to expand your team outside of your foundational country, getting internal buy-in is even more important. With teams on multiple continents, cultural norms vary and mission statements can get lost, or lose relevance.

3. A reaffirmation to your current customers

A successful brand relaunch may change how prospects view your business. But it can also significantly change how current customers view your business. Why? The new brand can reconfirm their commitment to the business relationship as they can see experience in your evolution and growth.

A strategic rebrand is often paired with substantive product improvements that your existing customers will be able to leverage right away. Your rebrand can also involve repositioning your offerings with more clarity in terms of both business value and feature set. Clearly articulating this will go a long way towards successfully executing the new vision you’ve set.

4. Announce your brand to would-be team members

In an increasingly remote world, your next hire could be from almost anywhere. Your successful brand launch is important in the competition for talent and it is an opportunity to let your brand personality shine. Make your brand appealing to work for and let people know what you stand for, and also against. Highlight the leadership team as a part of your communication strategy because people join leaders, not companies. 

Your brand launch needs to reflect the company vibe. If it’s inherently new, forward thinking and exciting then it’s going to appeal to people wanting to work with innovative, forward thinking teams, and who will enjoy the excitement that comes with fast moving disruptors.

5. Cut through the noise of a crowded space

Unless you’re creating an entirely new category, your brand launch should elevate your business as a unique innovator worthy of the attention of customers who otherwise would stick with their incumbent service provider. As you move through the steps of arriving at a new name, color scheme and personality, a healthy amount of competitor research should be involved in order to come out looking unique. The worst thing you could do would be to appear like just another one in your space, indistinguishable in the same competitive corner. 

6. Leverage copy that inspires your most ambitious prospects

In a successful brand launch, you will spend time defining “The Who”, who we are, and answering “The Why” of your mission, and being able to answer why your customers should care. 

A brand launch is a time to clearly communicate the basics, but it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave a lasting impression. If you’re a bold brand, you need to make sure to say something bold. If you seek to work with bold customers in your target market, messaging a bold approach will resonate with them. We all know that you can’t be everything to everyone. With appropriate reflection and external stakeholder inputs before a brand launch, you can come out to the world knowing who it is you are ideally positioned to service.

7. Make an indelible mark on your future customers

Above all else, the brand you present to the market should make a memorable impact on your future customers. If you’re in a B2B enterprise software space, you may be impacting future customers for years before they’re ready to have a transition conversation with you. This is why it is so important to commit to brand identity messaging in everything that goes out into the public domain under your brand. Does what you’re saying sound and feel like it came from the voice of someone that exemplifies the brand personality traits you’ve chosen to align with? 

Consistent , authentic, clear, concise, and on message. There are millions of brands across the globe, but the best brands maintain a high caliber integrated marketing communications strategy, and execute it with superior intentionality. For example, if you are a gym owner then the best way to communicate with your audience is through holistic gym marketing.

The question is - is your brand serving you well and are you executing it with intentionality?

How can Hapana help your boutique fitness studio or health club? Request a Demo to learn more.