Of all the things in business you can make difficult, branding has to be close to the top of the list.
We all know the importance of branding, and brand management, and as such tend to over think it.
Branding really comes down to answering these four questions and then remaining consistent to your answers as implement your marketing messages.
This is the foundation of a great brand, focus on it while building yours.
Who Are You?
Seems simple on the surface, but often overlooked. Your brand will reflect who you are as a person, and as a company. What do you stand for, what is your mission, do you have core values and principals that drive your business decisions? All of those go into what makes you, you. And it's the first step in fleshing out your brand.
What Do You Do?
What does your business do? This one is pretty straight forward, it's essentially your elevator speech, or how you would sum up your business if given 30 seconds to talk about it. Focus on your core competencies when answering "what do you do"; because while we may think we're all things to everybody, in reality there are specialties within our businesses that should be highlighted.
Why Does it Matter?
This is a tough one for many. Exactly why does what you do matter? How does your business touch people, interact with the customer, in such a way that it is relevant? Until you know why you matter, and to whom you matter, you can't begin to develop the proper messages that will act as the foundation of your brand.
What Makes You Different?
If you're exactly the same as the next guy it's going to be hard to develop a meaningful brand. The good news is hardly anyone is exactly the same as the next guy. You have strengths, beliefs, ideas, and business models that make you different. Your answers to the other three questions should help you realize your differences, and what makes you unique. Focus on your competitive advantage, and when it comes to building a brand remember to celebrate your differences.
In a Nutshell
That's really all there is to developing the messages that will build your brand. Forget logos, fonts, colors, or any other brand building tool until you answer the questions above. Those are brand strentheners, not brand builders, knowing the four W's is the foundation from which to build on.
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What a fantastic overview of branding! I am a massive believer that branding is what makes your blog/website/business successful and think that a lot of people do not spend half enough time working on figuring out what their brand is – or building it.
@Tom
You’re right, it’s the difference. I’m going to talk more about the other aspects of branding on this blog in the coming week, but I thought this was a good way to start.
Good to see you back here, I downloaded you eBook the other day – good stuff!
Matt
I do love the whole concept of the elevator speech. These are the questions that should really be clear before starting a business because they should be the foundation and the driving force behind all manner of decisions, including marketing, business planning, budgeting and a whole host of others.
George
Branding is important for everyone.
My favorite one on the list is what makes you different. As you can see I put an entire page on my website explaining our Unique Sales Proposition Basically it’s the equivalent of business DNA. you really need this to differentiate yourself from other in your industry so you will have a clear reason for standing out from the crowd.
As always great points Matt.
@Tumblemoose
The elevator speech is great. You should get in the habit of being able to tell people what you do in 30 seconds or less.
Matt
@Gerald
That’s a great idea! Not only do you explain what makes you different, you’re also incorporating the first step in “The easiest way to sell stuff EVER”, by saying “Here’s what I got”
Nice Job!
Matt