Think of your favourite brand. How does it make you feel? Do you trust it to deliver every time? Are you more loyal to this brand over others? It’s no secret that a great brand has the ability to move people. A great brand delivers on the promise it makes to its customer, it’s consistent in what it offers and invokes some feeling in us. Great brands have qualities we identify with and they inspire us to act. We believe in them.
How close is your brand to being great?
Whether you have a new or established business, the energy you put into your brand is a wise investment. After your business strategy, your brand strategy comes next. Too often business professionals want to jump in and develop campaigns to get activity underway before they have really thought through their brand. Understanding your brand matters because it can unlock potential in your business. It can stop you from wasting resources in the wrong area and refocus your effort on strategies with greatest impact.
By taking steps to define what your brand stands for, you’re also defining what you’re not.
When your brand is clear, it means you’re clear in who you’re targeting. It means you can find your customer more easily, at less expense and more importantly, they can find you! It takes courage to separate yourself from the pack, to define your business with a single minded focus. That’s the point of good brand positioning; you make an active choice not to be everything to everyone. With good reason – it just doesn’t work. Remember, when your customer has infinite choice, differentiation is not optional.
In its simplest form, you need to know what your brand is about, who needs to know about it, why they should care and how they will find you. Also know what you want them to do. Only then should you take action to spread your brand message. Don’t bother marketing, communicating or recruiting until you have it in check.
The power of a well considered brand, supported by clear messages and consistent execution will get you noticed. Whatever your goals or dreams, is your brand is working hard enough to get you there? Don’t ignore your brand strategy. Make a decision. Commit to undertake a branding process; commit to a single minded vision across everything you do in your business. After that, ask your customer – can you feel it?
