What is your brand?
Your brand is your reputation.
It’s the perception on the street or in your marketplace. It’s us right now, sizing each other up. What you think of the person sitting next to you is their brand and you, their perception of your brand. And whatever our determination THAT is our brand whether we like it or not. If we like it, then we grow on that and if we don’t it’s up to us to define that brand and build it. And that is any category of brand – corporate – personal – place – or product. If we refuse to define our own brand then our competition will gladly step up to the plate and do that job for you. I guarantee you, THAT will not be pretty. I would hazard to guess that the vast majority in today’s audience are doing just that – allowing their competition to define their brand. The good news is – you can take back control and re-brand strategically. That’s not changing your logo but establishing a positioning strategy that reduces competition and gives your customer an overwhelming and compelling reason to choose you first.
Here are the 5 steps to re-branding or defining your brand.
#1) Establish your brand values. Brand values are traits that not only are the foundation of your brand, buy they absolutely define what your brand stands for. They are great in good times and bad. Removing any one of those values fundamentally changes your brand in the eyes of it’s customers. Brand values are the traits that allow your organization to make money and thrive.
#2) Brand Positioning – this is huge!
HUGE!
Positioning is the thing that resonates with your customer and compels them to buy from you. Also referred to as a unique selling point, positioning gives them a reason to buy. Slogans or tag lines are inspirational but they don’t typically inspire sales or blatantly tout anything. Positioning is all about bragging rights to something. (This goes against everything our mother’s taught us). We must determine our difference then scream about it from the rooftops. ONLY the bravest owners of companies embraces positioning because it requires them to go out on a limb in many cases and takes a stand in the marketplace. Taking a stand against the competition and daring them to better you. Domino’s did it with delivery, Apple with design, Volvo with safety and so on. Positioning from a differentiation strategy goes way past the low-hanging fruit like your people or your service. Powerful positioning delivers on a greater promise – something your competitors might deem fool-hearty (in some cases). Powerful positioning pushes your brand to the front of the line strategically. Once discovered, you will find that your positioning reflects your brand values intrinsically.
#3) Up periscope – what are your competitors doing? How many in this room have visited the competitors website, dropped by their location, driven past it. Mystery shopped them? Are they using positioning in their toolbox? Even the tone of their brand can take a dollar out of your pocket. Is your brand culture more powerful than their’s or are they attracting the best talent driving innovation? Lots of questions. If you refuse to even take a peek, then what lies under that sheet can harm your brand.
#4) Your brand logo. Take a hard look at your brand logo and image. Does it speak to its constituency? The logo to an organization is the face of a corporate brand much like your signature is the face of your personal brand. If the demographic of your target audience is young, then make sure that your logo reflects that. Updating a logo and image would be very important under that circumstance. A logo can stir perceptions and emotions that make customers feel the way you want them to. Do you want to look stable? Innovative? contemporary? traditional? trustworthy? – a professionally designed logo and image can deliver on that. Don’t treat your logo like a piece of art. It’s a communication vehicle and is meant to drive sales by instilling trust and reliability. We want our customers to identify with our brands. Look at the companies you trust. Now look at their logos – what is it that makes it easy to give them some of your money? You want that trust associated with your brand.
#5) Consistency. How many companies in your sphere change the tone of their brand every time they run an ad, post an article, make a video etc. ?Inconsistency breeds confusion and mistrust. Even a poor image is better for your brand than an inconsistent one. If your brand is the perceived leader in your category, not acting like a leader throws confusion out there. It spreads doubt. Rumor has it that you’re the leader, but would a leader do THAT? Consistency relies on your ability to forge ahead, holding your head high and delivering an authentic and unique experience. Failing to do that opens the door for the competition to redefine what was thought to be. Inconsistency on your part, can make that pretty convincing.
