What is Branding: Why Companies Should Strategically Brand Themselves and Why it Matters to Consumers

        The term "branding" has been thrown around a lot in business, but a lot of people are unsure of what exactly the term means. In actuality, there is both an internal and external function. Basically, it means both what the business puts out and what its customers thinks about it. If you try to imagine yourself walking into a clothing store to shop for your next outfit, the clothes you select will be a reflection of your personal values and preferences. There is, however, the added consideration as to what other people will think about you wearing the outfit, because other people will instinctively be attracted to you if they share a similar interest in your clothing style. Even if you don't care what others and purchase clothes just for yourself, this still part of your "branding" since the chances are high that you have friends who also value that same attitude. In other words, your I-don't-want-to-impress-people attitude is EXACTLY what impresses your friends. 

    So in the same way, some people are going to be more attracted to your particular business than others if they have a perceived value in yours which is more closely aligned with their personal values. In the former days before cars when transportation was mostly done on horses, the owners would "brand" their horses to show ownership. This sign of ownership was more than a mere name, however, but also a reflection of the intangible value based on who actually owned them. Nowadays in the automotive industry, the price of a car involves more than a mere name. If people only bought cars to get them from point A to B, then they should theoretically not care about who makes the car. Reality, though, is that people do care about selecting the right car, because everybody knows that some cars have more long-term value than others. Although the price of one car may be much more expensive than another, people are willing to pay more if they know there's more long-term value and that the company's values are more aligned with their own. 

Branding is both a function of the value that a company puts out and what customers think about the company. It's difficult to separate the two when a company sets out to market itself, because marketing involves not only producing value but also finding customers who will perceive your company as valuable. Simply think of your customers as like your circle of friends who will share your similar clothing style when buying outfits in a department store. Products or services is what the company sells, but long term value depends on the relationship with your customers. 


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Mason Graves Photography is a wedding, portrait, and event photography service in Jackson, Ms and has been building its branding presence in central Mississippi since 2015. Visit www.masongravesphoto.com to learn more, and contact today if you think that Mason Graves Photography can assist your business with developing a winning brand!

Thanks for visiting,
Mason Graves
Mason Graves Photography
info@masongravesphoto.com

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