The word “brand” is frequently misunderstood or misused. Your business has a brand…whether you are doing anything about it or not. A brand is not just your logo or your business card. It is not just your product or service. A brand is much broader than any one tangible element of your business.
- At the highest level, your brand is shared perception.
It is what people say, think, and feel about your business. It’s not what you say about your business, it’s what they say it is. “They” are your clients, customers, contractors, partners, and even the general public. What is entirely up to you as a business owner is how to influence that perception. Everything about your business influences that perception to varying degrees: your business name; the location; the type and quality of your service; how staff acts, dresses, and answers the phone; the visual design of your outreach materials, and so on. Therefore, it is crucial to be clear and consistent around your branding. - At the mid-level, your brand is your promise.
“Who you are, what you promise, and your ability and willingness to deliver on that promise.” (Joe Calloway) - At a basic-level, your brand can be defined as: a cohesive image that positions you as a trusted expert, attracts your ideal client, and conveys the distinct value of investing in your services.
Why is an effective, distinctive brand important? Because it will:
- Differentiate you from your competition
- Make others aware of your expertise
- Bring you new opportunities faster
- Create in your client’s mind a desire to hire you or buy your product
- Guide business and career decisions about what training to pursue and what opportunities to accept
- Elevate you from the status of a commodity (remember: in commodities, lowest price wins)
Thinking about your own brand and its effectiveness, you should begin by asking specific questions:
- How would you define the current shared perception of your company? (Refer to #1 above; some clients ask their own clients to help them answer this question.)
- How do you want that shared perception to evolve? What is missing, or could be improved?
- What is your promise? (Refer to #2 above)
- How are or will you implement these abstract concepts into concrete visual communication?