You know there aren’t many successful businesses that don’t have strong brands (excuse the double negative). Think Ryanair, Xerox, Apple, BMW, Starbucks, etc. These powerful brands don’t just happen by chance. They need constant attention and caring for. And by brands, we don’t mean their logo or their tagline or their website. Oh no, it’s a lot more than that…
Okay, so what is a Brand?
This sounds like a dumb question (I hear you shout), but there’s lots of confusion in Marketing-land about what a brand really is. We thought we’d just put the record straight and declare the clearest and most meaningful definition. Are you ready? (drumroll)
Your Brand is Your Reputation.
That’s it. Seriously, it’s your reputation. It’s what people think and feel (emotional connection) when they see your logo or hear the name of your product, service or organisation. It comes from their previous experience of your business or from what they’ve heard about you.
Okay, so if your brand is your reputation, what is branding?
Branding is the process of aligning how your audience sees and feels about your brand with how you want them to see it.
It’s managing all those individual things you do, that when put together, make up people’s impression of you. For a business this includes how you answer the phone, the layout of your website, the way you dress, the décor of your office, your business card, the packaging you use, social media and yes your logo. These “things” are called touch-points. They are mostly manageable and within your control. The strongest brands are those that employ consistency across all their touch-points.
Think about your brand. Are all your touch-points aligned?
If you're still reading, stop. Go to work on your brand.