When you are trying to design branding automotive marketing clients will respond to, it helps to understand why a strong brand is so important. You also need to know what makes a brand strong, and why so many companies invest millions of dollars just to get their logo seen by a crowds of people.

The truth is that those companies are not just trying to be seen by a target audience, they are also trying to associate their brand with a positive experience for consumers that will enhance their product’s image. Branding is critically important to any company, but especially to service companies such as auto repair shops.

What is Branding?

In its broadest terms, a brand is a perceived image that consumers have of a company or product based on extensive marketing. Some companies prefer to establish brands for their products that are separate from their company brands to make their product marketing more effective.

The perception a company is going for, in both product and company branding, is one of being an industry leader with the highest quality offering. A good branding strategy will bring in new customers, whereas a brand image will convey a feeling of excellence that your competition does not have.

When you work on your auto shop brand, you will get a constant stream of referrals if your brand reputation has caused people to believe that you are an industry leader in your field. Good branding creates word of mouth advertising, which is the most effective type of promotion that is almost impossible to buy in any form.

Why Do People Prefer Certain Brands?

People who drink Coca-Cola will often avoid drinking Pepsi, even if Pepsi is the only soft drink option available. Since the two drinks taste very similar, it can be difficult to understand why there is such a strong sense of brand loyalty towards one company over another.

People prefer certain brands because they may have had a good experience in the past with a particular brand, their family may have always used that brand, or they just simply prefer it to its competitor. Marketing can change the way people think of a brand. If a consumer is consistently told to try Coca-Cola and they like it, then that brand is established in the consumer’s mind as being reliable and of high quality. Once a brand has taken hold in a person’s mind, it is difficult for the competition to come in and replace that brand.

If customers have good experiences with your auto shop, then that significantly strengthens your brand in their minds and enhances your corporate image. After a while, you will find that loyal customers become a steady source of referrals that keeps you busy for a while.

Identifying A Brand

Whether a company sells on an international, national, or regional level, they will find that utilizing a unique logo helps to set their brand apart from the competition. In smaller markets, it is often the company name that helps to establish a brand that customers will remember.

For a service organization such as an auto shop, the brand is usually established using the shop name. When people get good service from ABC Auto Shop, they will remember the shop’s name more than a logo or distinctive colors. However, it should be noted that having a clever logo and a distinctive corporate color scheme does enhance your brand and make it easier for customers to remember your company.

How Can You Establish Your Brand?

In a service industry, the quality of service you give your customers is the most important factor when it comes to establishing your brand. You need to monitor your competition and offer services that they don’t. Your business should be clean and your staff needs to be inviting to clients. Every single aspect of your service needs to exceed what the competition is doing to help establish your auto shop brand.

Good service matched up with competent repair technicians will be your keys to establishing a very strong brand for your auto shop business. You can help customers to remember your business by developing a unique logo and appealing color scheme, but don’t forget that your brand will be based on your level of service, and that is how you will stand out from the competition.