Your brand is your most valuable asset. Your brand is your reputation, what your organization stands for and the perception of your business from the viewpoint of the rest of the world.
Branding is a business decision, whether you realize it or not. In a thought, branding is the management of perception. How do we manage this perception? This perception is managed by identifiers, attributes and associations. Successful management is a mixture of what we want working in conjunction with the perception of our customers.
As you develop your brand, remember perception is not only about what is read, but also what is heard and seen. Branding includes everything from your business name, logo and tag line to your elevator pitch, voice mail message and business cards.
- Tagline – Your tagline can make or break your business. Your tagline should align with your business and be easy to remember.
- Website – Your website is part of your carbon footprint. You want the information on your site to demonstrate your expertise in your area of business. You want the content to cause potential clients to contact you. Your website should not be so content heavy that visitors leave your site before contacting you.
- Brand Vocabulary – You should have 10-20 words that you want exemplified by your brand. Honest, dependable, innovative and knowledgeable are examples of words that companies want associated with their brand. As you develop Web content, marketing material and prepare for interviews, it is important that you utilize and demonstrate your brand vocabulary.
- Logo –You should remember that your logo will be seen before your website, even before you are seen. When working with a graphic designer to develop your logo, you want it to be unique and have a meaning that joins your tagline and brand vocabulary. You also want your logo to be appealing to your niche.
How do you want people to remember you and your business? For example, if you are an event consultant and want potential clients to believe your organization is elegant, you must demonstrate elegance in all you do. We have all heard “She does great work but…” You do not want a “but” in your brand. Instead you want individuals to share that she is very dedicated to her clients and she always delivers.
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