Photo credit: http://www.soundslikebranding.com
Branding. You’ve probably heard different people talk about building a brand, but what exactly is a brand? More specifically, is branding more than a logo?
An easy trap to fall into is thinking that a brand is someone’s logo. Your brand is more than your company logo; it’s the world’s perspective of you. (Tweet this!) It’s how you talk, what you say, how you respond, what and where you choose to invest yourself, and so much more of what makes you, well, you.
You might be thinking, “But I’m not some brand; I’m a person!” When it comes to branding, you need to think back to the birth of branding: cattle barons in the frontier days. Your brand, whether it was the flying J or the Rocking R, whatever it is, that brand was your biggest way of communicating to the world around you. Qualities, memories, situations, good or bad, were quickly connected to your brand based on past experiences.
Things haven’t changed when it comes to brand impressions today. Your customers, current or future, will associate certain impressions and perspectives with your brand based on their experiences. Are your ads funny or serious? Is your marketing professional or casual? Does your brand’s public perception reflect the mission statement and core values you desire? Many brands have a gap between how the world currently sees them and how their brand managers (entrepreneurs, marketing directors, small business owners, etc.) would like their brand to be seen.
If you’re not sure where your brand is at, I’m offering FREE 30-minute brand evaluation sessions. We will talk through your brand history, current logo and tagline, brand principles (“core values”), evaluate your brand’s current attributes and public perception, and current brand strategy. You will walk away with at least one action step on how to improve your brand.