As more and more industrial manufacturing companies begin direct-to-consumer initiatives, brand integrity becomes an important consideration in these efforts.
For many industrial manufacturing companies, B2B sales have been the core of their marketing and sales efforts for so long that when they begin to branch out into dealing more with day to day consumers, it becomes necessary to at least think about and be aware of brand integrity.
So, what is brand integrity?
Your brand is what people think you are. This includes the perception of your values and mission and is highly influenced by customer experience. Brand, in this context, goes beyond your logo.
Integrity means consistent, whole, undivided, principled, upright.
Brand integrity then refers to consistently maintaining the brand that you have built.
This is especially important for companies that move from one market into a new market. For example, there has been a growing trend among OEMs and wholesale distributors to dealing more directly with consumers rather than their traditional B2B contacts or procurement professionals. As these companies implement direct-to-consumer initiatives maintaining the brand they have built in the B2B world becomes essential.
When dealing more closely with consumers, companies open themselves up to more risk. As consumers have a more direct relationship, they have more knowledge of a company and their experiences with that company will impact how they perceive the brand.
The good news is that this gives industrial manufacturers the opportunity to control the experience that consumers have with their brand. This means that there is an opportunity to add value and create a competitive advantage. The more value you can create, the more opportunity you will have for increasing your profitability.
The key is to maintain your brand integrity and create exceptional experiences.
Want to learn more about brand integrity and how it can impact manufacturing companies transitioning toward direct-to-consumer initiatives? Recently Todd sat down with the Freight Project Podcast to talk about brand integrity.
Check out the full Freight Project Podcast episode here.
Topics: Manufacturing, Company Culture
