Every day – day in and day out you are your brand. It’s a forever effort. If you know anything about branding you’ll appreciate the fact that a nurtured brand works for you. Understanding what you stand for and delivering on those values, makes for a pretty compelling message to your customers. That goes for every type of brand. It can be you – your personal brand, your company’s corporate brand, your community’s place brand, your staff’s internal brand – any type of brand. The goal of any brand is to differentiate so that establishing that ever coveted relationship with it’s targeted audience is made easier.
Easier of course meaning – resonating. Getting their attention, being top of mind in that category. Definitely not easier in execution. That takes genuine effort. We all recognize that no matter how much positive effort we devote to our brands, sh*t stills happens and mostly through no fault of our own. Those negatives have to be put in their place, and allow us to move forward yet again. Sometimes things don’t happen soon enough. As the month trudges on, sales figures for the month are creeping up, but sometimes not as fast as you like. The sad truth in any business is that adversity is an unwelcome cousin. They challenge us at every turn in the road to greatness. Your brand is everything in business. Adhering to your brand values when challenged, is sometimes the hardest thing. Putting food on the table is quite a motivator. It can also be a temptation to surrender your brand for the quick buck. You see it all around you.
Staying true to your brand will win out in the long haul. Whether you have the stomach for it is the question? Branding is not easy. It expects you to take the high road. Branding expects you to present a brand image that makes you look larger and more successful. It doesn’t want you to get the cheapest business cards, or print your flyers on the office printer. Branding doesn’t want you to put they screws to your sales team and expect them to get the sale at any cost. Branding doesn’t expect you to go to market advertising multiple services and master of none. Branding especially doesn’t want your to regard re-branding as a changing of the logo. That would just be wrong.
The toughest thing about your brand is simply that – your brand. Your reputation – what you stand for. We all face adversity – how we deal with it is the true measure of a brand. We can bend with the wind, take a short cut. The true leaders embrace adversity and see it as a catalyst for moving forward. Much of that is attitude. Believe in yourself- your brand and you will welcome success at your doorstep once again. As tough as things get from time to time, never (or try not to) let down your guard. We all lose from time-to-time, just don’t let it get the best of you. Do as my motto challenges – Lead Don’t Follow. Simple as that is, it WILL keep you moving forward.
