What? That’s Just Stupid of Course I Control My Brand!

Welcome to A Rant on Brand:

Your Brand Is One of the Most Important Things You Can’t Control!

I could fill pages if I was asked. I have filled hours at the front of a class (hours no joke) talking about a brand. Things like misconceptions about it, why it is important, what differentiators really matter, what connects with your audience and the list goes on and on. But it always comes back to one important thing…

How do you even define a brand?

Dare to be distinctive

What makes you different? Why would someone select you over another? But the differentiators are just the start. Yes, it is important to be able to speak to why are you different from X. What do you offer that Y doesn’t? What do you do better than Z? These all help consumers decide if they value what you offer more than they value what another has to offer. But differentiators are not the end all and be all.

It is important to remember that a comany is not in control of it’s brand. All you really control is the identity- the colors- the language – the logo and the differentiators.

BRAND IS…

…WHAT HELPS PEOPLE DECIDE ON ONE OVER ANOTHER.

…IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH CUSTOMERS

…IS MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES

…CAN BE SIGHTS SMELLS SOUNDS

…BRAND = EMOTION!

A company can not directly control the emotion of others.

So why is all of this important?

Why should you dare to be different? Why should you remember that brand is more than just things you create that represent your brand identity?

It is important because

BRAND SHOULD INFORM AND DIRECT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITE, AND BRICK AND MORTAR REPRESENTATION OF YOURSELF.

It should be front and center in everything you do. Not just because you want all your things to look pretty, but because every customer interaction, every social media post, every experience is creating those memories and moments that truly create BRAND.

Every employee you hire can impact your brand, every social media post you like without fully understanding what the author represents impacts it. Every product you decide to carry, every product you decide to not carry. All of these decisions impact the emotional responses of your customers to your company and therefore impact brand.

My Suggestion

I have always made one suggestion to all my clients when it comes to brand. The first thing you need to do as a company is to define your brand clearly. What would your company say in difficult situations? What are your core values and what do you offer to your customers? But what is most important is simple… you need to believe in your brand and show that belief in all that you do, all that you say, and in every interaction with your customers/clients. The moment you waver is the moment you have a brand identity issue and in this social media age, an identity issue could mean major issues for your company.