When you are creating a brand then you need to be consistent.  Consistency should take place in everything that you do. Remember, brand is your reputation and if you are not consistent it will not have a good impact on the consumers.  The primary question that you should ask yourself is if you deliver everything you promise to your customers.  The answer here should always be a yes.  Delivery should be consistent at all times. Consistency should occur at every touch point. If one of your brand values is generosity, then you should be generous in every aspect. Always willing…

When you chose to look to the leader in your industry and copy them you probably figure – “hey they must be doing something right,” you only do damage to your brand and confuse your own audience. From a brand image perspective you blend in or as we love to say it – “you are drowning in a sea of sameness.”  While it may be natural to look to others for inspiration, it is more important to draw from them elements that can improve on, and an image you can differentiate from. If you believe yourself to be the better…

There are many things to consider about your competition when you are designing a branding campaign. Many businesses fail because they do not consider their competition. You need to do proper research about your competitors, learn what makes you different, why the customers should choose you, and much more. Researching the Competition You must always research your competition before you begin your brand. Every business must know who their primary competitors are. It is important to know if your company is on top of the list in the industry or exactly where you stand. When researching competitors it is important…

Audience is everything. If you do not know the audience that you are targeting then you cannot begin creating a brand for a product or a company. There are many reasons that audience must be considered. Knowing your audience well will work for you in the long run. Cultural differences are very important also. Lucky symbols in one culture can mean death in another. With the advent of the web, you can not assume that you immediate area is your sole marketplace. The world is watching your brand. The audience is the targeted customer base that you are hoping to…

Branding is about customer’s perception. When you want to create a brand you want to create a perception of the customer that you are the best, provide quality, or maybe even more. It is important to have a good idea of what the customers currently think of you when you are building a branding campaign. Today customers may not know that you exist or they may have a negative feel for your business because you haven’t been practicing proper methods. Have a clear understanding on exactly what the customers think of you. If you are unsure what the customers think…

This proposition absolutely sets you apart from the competition. In many cases it eliminates the competition all together by virtue of positioning. Determine what it is about your company that works. One of your biggest goals in the branding process is establishing a place inside of the customer’s mind. At this point, you have a good idea who your audience is supposed to be. You know what their income level is, their age, and possibly geographical details. This information is relevant in establishing an actual audience. Your goal is to prove to the customer they have a need for your…

Once a positioning statement is settled on go back (steps 4,5,7 6) and make sure that it does not compromise any of the established Character values. Go over each individually. Look at your established Brand Personality – does each trait accurately reflect your Core Brand Message. If all is well you are ready to move on and tackle your most challenging goal: To establish a “Unique Selling Point or positioning strategy” – using differentiation as a strategy, determine exacting what is is that makes your company unique in it’s market. Your Notebook To Do: Answer the following Questions and put…

This is a statement describing exactly what your company does. It defines the environment from which the unique selling point is spawned. You have to craft a message to your customer telling them exactly what you do for them. This message is not something that leaves the company, it is for internal consumption only. Exercise: Here you will need a newsprint flip chart. Engage the team to describe just what we do here at ABC Company. The goal is to develop a concise description of the service offered. This statement does not have to be released for public consumption, so…

The tone and attitude of the company. These are the characteristics that personify and create an emotional touch point. Exercise: Here you will need large Post-It-Notes®, and a newsprint flip chart. This again follows the same set-up and execution as the character values. But first we are going to ask everyone to use their imaginations. We want them to imagine the company brand as a physical person. Place this person out the road out front (name the road) and picture this person walking down the road. Ask the team these questions, ( and remember to stress that we must be…

These values personify the essence of your company. They are the pillars that support your company. They are the values that truely represent your corporate brand. They will be values that are easy to honor in good times, but must be adhered to in bad times. These are the values that represent the actual character of your corporate brand is the basis on which the stake holders build their understand of who you are – essentially your reputation. Exercise: Here you will need large Post-It-Notes®, and a newsprint flip chart. Start out with a few easy ones. Ask if honest,…