So, what’s the plan?

You’ve heard that old saying “He who fails to plan, plans to fail”. As much as I dislike overused clichés, in the area of brand development, it has never been more true.

Over my many years as a designer working at advertising and branding agencies, I have seen on countless occasions businesses try to launch their new brand, with almost no forward planning whatsoever. They simply throw it out there – get a reaction, then make urgent changes from there. That is the worst way to launch a brand. Being too reactive is a recipe for failure.

I would recommend planning at least 6 months in advance. Know exactly how and where you’re going to advertise and have a plan for the promotions you are going to run. The nature of business is that it will be up and down, but you’re only aiming for a long term upward trend. You will have bad weeks, you will have ads perform poorly on occasion – but panicking and making changes on the spot is going to do your brand more harm than good.

If you keep changing your image, it makes it very difficult for your customers to recall you when it comes time for them to require your services. Stay in their faces, stay consistent, hit them with well planned promotions, and only react if you are noticing a medium term downward trend in enquiries. Your marketing meetings should be about project management and implementing your plans – not urgent brainstorming as a result of your last press ad performing only half as well as the previous one.

If you have any questions or concerns about your brand’s performance – please contact me and I will be more than happy to discuss.