A Brand That…

While working on a dedicated branding page for our website, I was trying to put together the quintessence of what makes a brand so powerful it creates physical action.

I came up with the above, often shuffling words around to get the right feel and cadence, but, of course, I believe it will eventually change. There are so many ideas of what a brand is floating around in the ether, it’s getting harder and harder to distill the concept into just the essence, the nucleus, the marrow.

One of the concepts that resonates with me is the fact that companies don’t actually own their brands…their customers do. They can nurture, raise, support, tend and grow their brands, but it’s never fully theirs to hold and embrace, the intimate involvement can only be experienced by individuals who plunk down their hard-earned dollars.

When brainstorming content marketing ideas for new clients, I often find the briefs with the most weight mushroom from companies with solid brand foundations. They know who they are, who their customers are and what their customers expect. With this knowledge, they know when they’re delivering on their brand promise, and when they’re falling short.

So if you feel your company has lost its mojo, or never even had one, or is being tossed around like a plastic bag in a stiff breeze with no foundation, start by asking yourself these basic questions:
 

• Who are you and what do you do?
• What does your company stand for? Can you say it in one simple sentence?
• What makes your company different and special? In other words, what can you honestly say sets your company apart for your competition? (Look at every single facet of your business.)
• What makes your company passionate about its goods/services?
• What qualities and characteristics do you want people to think of when they hear your company name?
• What feelings/emotions do you want them to have?
• What are the functional benefits that your company delivers to their customers?
• What are the emotional benefits that your company delivers to their customers? (This is important, since I believe this is one visceral area that can really set your company apart in the marketplace.)
• What do you want them to expect when interacting with your company? (Can you substantiate all your answers as actual company actions? If not, what needs to be done to make it a reality?)
• What is the story that your employees and your customers can get behind, believe in, admire and communicate? Is it simple enough that every single employee can effectively convey that story to your customers?

—db