Building Your Brand

Whether you know it or not, you’ve been building your brand since before you started your business. When you first began to think about the advantages of owning a business and creating scenarios for why anyone and everyone would want to do business with you. You were already on your way to building your brand. You see, a brand is more than just a catchy slogan or a snappy logo, much more, it encompasses your entire business or organization. You ARE your brand!

As the owner of FAST TRAX media virtually every day I am called upon to help businesses design and build their brand. That’s why I always begin my work with a questionnaire I designed that helps me to understand your business. Nobody knows the business like the people who work in it. Many times when I am asking questions I am surprised that even well established businesses have not taken the time to define their brand.

Here are some tips for brand building from my A.I.M. process :

1. Alignment - Define your “ideal” customer. Who is likely to buy your product or service. How old are they? Are they male or female? Where do they live? What do they like to do?

2. Integrate - What makes you the best choice for your type of business? Why do you exist and why should that matter to your customer?

3. Motivate - What constitutes success for you? What do I need my prospective clients to do? How will I get them to consider my offering?

Defining your ideal customer, your culture and value propositions, and your goals simplify the branding process. Rather than having a Madison Avenue agency create an exciting ad campaign and then bending your organization to fit. You actually get to be your best self and then work on communicating the truth to the world.

Now that you have taken the time to define who you are and what you do, it’s time to begin the process of creating a brand message. Try to keep it simple and focus on the top three reasons why your prospective customers will want to do business with you. Write them down and prioritize them in order of importance to your prospects.

A good question to continually ask yourself in this process is: “why?”.

For example:

“We have great customer service!” Why?

1. Because anybody can dry clean your suit but will it be ready when you need it?

2. Because we hire and train the very best people.

“We carry superior products” Why?

1. Because the bitterness of poor quality lingers after the sweetness of low price fades.

2. Because we stand behind what we sell with a money back promise.

As you work through this step it can be refreshing to rediscover the “real you” and that can re-fire the passion that got you involved in your work in the first place. It can also energize your entire team by helping to focus everyone on the commitments that set you apart from the competition.

Ultimately it is the day to day operations of any business that define the brand. By focusing on your desired culture and providing your customers with a superior experience everyday you will find that you are building a solid healthy brand that can only succeed and prosper.