Branding, branding, branding, right? That’s all you hear people talking about, but what is it really? Branding is what you do to a brand – it’s the process of bringing your brand (or idea) to life. Of course, you want and need a brand identity, because how are people going to know who you are and what you can do. It’s like WIFFM – what’s in it for me? Once you can tell people that through words and visuals and throw in a promise of the experience they will get from working with you or buying your products, you’ve basically pinpointed your brand. Today, we’re talking all about it.

Now, you may be asking, so I know my brand, so why is branding important? Branding helps companies convey this information. While it may sound simple, real branding is HARD. There are hundreds, if not thousands of companies that can’t tell you what they do, who they are doing it for, and why. At least not in an interesting way. Why not? Who knows, but I’ll tell you one thing. When they feel as if they can’t get it done, they stop. Throw in the towel and give up.

Think about how much more you stand to gain with your customers if you’ve done the work. Better connections, more impact, and loyal customers, right? A solid, defined brand will take you far. It helps shape the way your internal and external stakeholders think about the brand. It embraces your purpose – why you do what you do besides money. That’s important. More than anything, a good brand tells and sells the big picture. 

Your branding guides who you serve, what markets you will do business in, the kinds of employees you have, how you connect with your customers, and how you translate your value through their emotional experiences.

Brands that have clear stories are considered high value. They tap into people’s emotions. Once you have someone emotionally invested, they are ready to buy. Believe it or not, that’s the type of company most people want to work for, because they have a mission and they move in sync to get things done. In these types of companies, almost everyone is on board because they understand. You can’t buy into what you don’t understand – which is where companies disconnect from their employees and their customers. 

Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let’s talk about what branding really is. Again, people hear the word branding and they immediately think colors and logo. While that is part of it, the brand isn’t the logo. The logo is part of what the brand stands for. 

When you’re branding your company, one of the most important things to remember is you have to be authentic every step of the way. While some companies have deceitful practices, they don’t last because you can’t continuously sell lies. Think about the brands or people that give you all these promises and nothing comes of them? The goal should be to under promise and overdeliver – not the other way around. 

Before you even start thinking about putting things in motion to create your brand or even rebrand, you must have a clear vision. I call it the evolving end game. It’s important to clearly see where you’re going. Think about next year, five years from now, 10, 20, 30, 40? There’s never really a finish line because you’re always going to be adding and revising your products and services, but you should have a vision of how you want the company to look in the future. That’s how you get buy-in from the team.

As long as you see the vision and people can start seeing it too, you’re well on your way.

Once you get that solidified, you must consider your purpose, vision, mission, and values. I know I talk about these a lot, but they are like building blocks. One doesn’t really work well without the other. This is the structure of bringing that vision to life and why your brand actually matters. Your values define what you will and won’t stand for, and what kind of culture you want for your employees. The why of your why is key.

Doing the research to know about your industry and what people want and need makes a difference. If nothing else, you want to know what they think – how they perceive your brand and what they think makes you different from everyone else. If you have employees, you need to ask them too. All these things play into the importance of branding and why you need to think of it as a critical element of your success.

I want you to think about a few things:

Branding stands on your purpose and promise. You know your why, and your promise is what you’re making to your customers. Trust me – they will hold you to it. As long as you have the two in sync, you’ll remain true to your original goal. If you curate a promise and deliver the experience, the customers will not only learn to trust you, they will continue doing business because you kept your word. That translates into recommendations from actual users, which then translates into sales. Everyone loves a company that delivers. Your logo helps define the brand, but your promise is what keeps it strong.

When you’re building a brand, people come to know it by your brand identity. It describes who you are and who you’re not. Remember purpose? As you move forward, you also acquire positioning and alignment. Clarity. If you aren’t clear on who you are, how will you stay the course?

Powerful brands tap into emotions. Once you get there, people have found the value you offer. Selling goes hand in hand with feelings. Brands that focus on emotion will always surpass those that only focus on the benefits and features of what they offer. Good branding creates trust.

Your brand is an asset, built on creativity, time, and assets. Great branding makes a difference. Branding helps with recognition. Your assets, for the most part, become the face of your brand because they are what people are going to recognize. 

Branding helps guide the steps you take in advertising and marketing. Everything aligns when you know your values because you understand what types of advertising you will and won’t do. Your story will convey what you want the public to know through carefully crafted campaigns that emotionally speak to your audience. Many brands miss great opportunities because they don’t have a clear brand strategy. Once you understand your customers and their emotions, use that in everything you do. You will see the return on your investment.

Branding also helps internally. Great brands engage their employees and align them with the overall goal. Remember, employees are people too. They need the same dedication and attention you give your customers, but in a different way. You want them to rave about how much they love working for your brand, which then translates those people telling others, and on and on. Brands that understand this get the best and brightest to work for them. There’s a reason why some companies have too many applicants, and others have none. You always want to be seen as a company that does great things and wants their employees and their customers to win.

Branding the right way helps in building your financial value. While connecting on an emotional level is very important, you also need growth and sales to sustain. Branding helps you enter new markets or create your own. Great brands have powerful brand stories because they understand who they are, what they do , why they do it, what customers get from their brand, and the value they offer to their employees. 

Now we’re back to brand purpose and brand promise. Your why is important, and your promise is too. No one likes broken promises, so don’t make your brand be one that does. Your actions, tactics, and authenticity all play a role. 

Now, how are you going to move forward? The only thing standing in the way of building a strong brand is you. 

Until next time.