Creating a Community Brand (Strategy)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today we are discussing the importance of community branding in today's mobile and social world.

It's easy to think about branding cookies, burgers, running shoes and sports cars. How else would customers know about these brands if there wasn't a concerted marketing effort to ensure these brands remain top of mind?

Big cities like San Francisco, New York and Chicago also manage large marketing efforts to put their brands on the map. However, this isn't always true when it comes to smaller communities. Branding is often neglected and it is expected that the public will understand what the city or town is all about. No formal branding strategies are created or managed.  

In today’s environment, the population is on the move, people can thrive just about anywhere these days. They are living, working and playing in places they are familiar with or where they have a true understanding of the benefits and experiences accrued from the destination.

 Just like evaluating major brands, these consumers are using Google and other search engines to shape their opinions. Therefore, it's imperative that communities have a clearly defined identity and consistently share this messaging online to be discovered.

Discovering your community’s brand essence is the first crucial step to creating a great brand. Developing the brand promise and brandline are driven by the essence of the community. Design of a logo and other marketing material along with integration of the brand throughout the community are the next steps.

Once the brand is created, a steady outbound marketing campaign will ensure the true brand and personality of the community will be shared to attract like-minded residents, businesses and visitors, which is the goal of community branding.

 Once a Day Marketing™ inspires clients to brand bold. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501.1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

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