Business today is all about branding. It makes sense, if you have a strong brand, people think of you first and keep you top of mind when they are looking for your kind of goods or services. When we think of brand, oftentimes logos, colors and celebrity endorsements come to mind. But what is REALLY your brand? It is comprised of many aspects, but here are three we think are vital to your business success!
So how do you create a great brand? Consistency, value and service. Building a brand is a process that never ends. Keeping on message, living it and making sure that it represents where your business is and who your business is on a consistent basis.
Consistency is the most important part of branding. Great brands grow as people gain experience with the values your business uses, experiences that become perceptions and expectations. Early on if something happens where those expectations aren’t met, the brand quickly dies. Be consistent in message, service and value. If there’s a hiccup, fix it right away. Make sure your employees know your message, know your values and practice them every minute they are working.
Persistence is also important. Patience certainly is a virtue in branding. It doesn’t happen overnight. As with consistency, make sure you put out messages and experiences that show that you consistently live up to your brand promise. Don’t give up. It takes time, and letting up, even after you have a brand, giving up on the message means your brand starts to die. People have short attention spans, especially in today’s world of instant information and gratification. Stay on message persistently.
Believe it or not, restraint is also important. Restraint in not overextending your business. Why? Because everything your business does must consistently and persistently communicate and represent your brand promise. If you overextend your business you have less control over what messages your employees are conveying to the public. Remember, if your customers get an inconsistent message, they get confused and move on. Growth is good, growth too fast or into areas where your message gets muddied is not.
Branding is important and an ongoing process. Be consistent, persistent and show restraint and you will build a great brand for your business.