KNOW THYSELF UNDERSTANDING YOUR BRAND FUNDAMENTALS

How to Define an Identity That Truly Sets You Apart

INDELIBLE 3 KEYS TO BUILDING A BETTER

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“He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself is enlightened.”LAO TZU

What is a Brand?

IF YOU START READING a few of the countless definitions out there for ‘brand,’ you’ll quickly end up down a rabbit hole of tortuous jargon that makes a brand sound like one of the most difficult concepts ever invented by humankind.

It is not.

Think about one of your friends. How would you describe their personality, their character? What stories do you tell about them? Do you rely on them for certain things? In short—who are they?

These same questions apply to your brand, because your brand is basically your reputation. And like reputations, a brand forms in complex ways. It starts with all the experiences a person has with your company, and it develops from there. It takes shape based on what people say about you, what they hear about you, what they expect of you.

Like a good reputation, a great brand is incredibly powerful. It inspires attraction, trust and loyalty. And like anything truly valuable, it can’t be acquired overnight.

Warren Buffet said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.” Building a strong brand requires similar thought, effort and discipline.

How do you do it?

Some experts argue that branding is moot. They say that control is the key to branding, and in today’s social media world, companies no longer have control over their image. But that’s not true. Like reputations, brands still come down to your true identity. It’s about what you do, what you say, and how you present yourself.

Branding starts with knowing who you really are. And that is no small thing. This guide will help you understand the fundamentals of your brand so you can define an identity that truly sets you apart.

A GREAT BRAND IS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.

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“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”OSCAR WILDE

Distinguish Yourself

A ST R O N G B R A N D P OS I T I O N is how you distinguish yourself. It should answer the question,

“Why are you in business?” Ultimately, it is the reason customers should care that you exist and choose you over competitors.

Answering the questions below will help you build a brand position that stands out within the marketplace.

»  Who is your target customer?

»  What are the primary needs or desires your brand satisfies?

»  What is the most compelling aspect of what you have to offer?

»  Who are your primary competitors?

»  What makes you different from the competition?

Your responses to these questions should not be vague or conceptual; and they cannot be based on assumptions, guesswork or dated information.

Your brand position needs to be developed rigorously. This is the time for precision, nuance and a detailed investigation of the particulars. Done well, your brand position provides a coherent, incisive explanation of your company’s purpose.

THIS IS THE TIME FOR PRECISION, NUANCE AND A DETAILED INVESTIGATION OF THE PARTICULARS.

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“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.”KURT VONNEGUT

Keep Your Promises

THE HEART AN D SOUL of your brand is its promise. It is the thing that draws customers to you in the first place and keeps them coming back for more.

A good way to hone in on your brand promise is to distill your position statement down to a short phrase. Really pick apart the core value you have to offer and find a memorable way to articulate it. This is the first thought—the gut feeling—you want your customers to have about your brand.

To help define your brand promise, consider these three questions:

»  What do your customers expect when they choose you?

»  Why do they have these expectations?

»  Why is this memorable or extraordinary?

Above all, you have to be able to keep your brand promise. In other words, it has to be authentic. It has to ring true to who you are and what you can consistently deliver. That’s the only way it will stick.

ABOVE ALL, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO KEEP YOUR BRAND PROMISE.

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“You don’t build it for yourself. You know what the people want and you build it for them.”WALT D ISNEY

Ask Questions G R EAT B R A N DS T E L L G R EAT STO R I ES, and their customers play the starring role. To engage customers in your story, you need to understand who they are. And the best way to do that is to develop detailed brand personas.

It isn’t enough simply to identify your target market. You have to get a deeper sense of what who your customers are and what they really want—their fears, hopes, motivations and turn-offs. These factors change regularly, so your personas must evolve to keep your brand fresh and compelling.

There are a number of ways to put yourself in your customers’ shoes, but here are two of the most effective ways to get started:

»  Secondary Research Start by working your way in from the outside. Check in with trade magazines, newspapers, industry white papers, etc., to refresh your knowledge of marketplace trends and dynamics. Then when you directly engage your customers, you’ll sound relevant and be equipped to ask more revealing questions.

»  In-depth interviews Sit down with as many potential customers as you can. With the right questions, you’ll be surprised at the findings that emerge. Interviews are one of the best ways to test internal assumptions and discover patterns and insights that can make or break your brand.

It’s an obvious but often overlooked point that to succeed you need to know your customers. Brand personas give you a proven method to truly stay in touch.

YOU HAVE TO GET A DEEPER SENSE OF WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT.

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“Hitchcock was one of the few people in Hollywood who had a brand. Every movie he made was an Alfred Hitchcock movie, it couldn’t have been anyone else.”DAVID CHASE , Creator of The Sopranos

Have a Heart TO REALLY COME TO LIFE, your brand needs a vivid personality. This helps your customers understand who you are. A strong personality makes your brand more visible, more likeable and more memorable. And it also helps differentiate you from the competition.

Some brands like to identify with an archetype, a sort of Briggs-Meyer approach to determining their personality. The idea is to have a vision for your brand as timeless character.

For example, are you the artist, the innovator or the explorer? The servant, the everyman or the maverick? Leaving a lasting impression is easier if you convey a personality type that people intuitively associate with certain stories, values and beliefs.

Bringing your brand’s personality to life can be fun. Here are some questions to get you started:

»  What does my brand love?

»  What inspires my brand?

»  What saddens my brand?

»  What does my brand fight for?

»  What character would my brand play in a movie?

»  Does my brand have a favorite food or drink?

»  How does my brand dress?

»  What is my brand’s favorite saying?

This might seem like a silly exercise, but you’ll be surprised how it can reveal important inconsistencies within your brand—and also point to new opportunities.

BRINGING YOUR BRAND’S PERSONALITY TO LIFE CAN BE FUN.

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“Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith, and perseverance to create a brand.”DAVID OGILVY

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LET’S BUILD A BETTER BRAND TOGETHER