Your Brand And You

Your Brand
Brand is your company logo, slogan, imagery, vocabulary, culture, and so much more. It is the essence of what makes you different from everybody else. It's what people think of when they see you, or sometimes what they see or hear that makes them think of you.

Your brand is as important to your business as your lungs are to your body. Long before you walk into a room, and long after you've left, your brand is there. Because it carries so much importance, you need to be acutely aware of it in every way, and be sure it's representing you in the light you want.

Nike created one simple symbol that is known the world over.

Putting Effort In A "Name"
Companies like Coca Cola spend millions of dollars each year maintaining and protecting their brands. When you think of Coke, you don't think of a soda that can actually dissolve aluminum (for real!), you think of refreshment, and happiness (afterall, you can have a Coke and a smile). Some companies spend billions to make their logos world renowned, while some others have trademarked key phrases and slogans.

The big question is how much time and money you've spent on your brand. Many companies "let the products speak for themselves." That's fine, but unfortunately if you don't specifically work to control your brand, you're leaving it up to the general public, or worse, your competitors to do so! Whether you or someone else does it, your company will develop a brand.

Evaluating Your Brand
It's quite possible that your brand isn't what you think it is. You may think you're sending one kind of message, but really be sending another. One good way to determine your brand is to talk with your employees first, as they will offer quite a valuable insight. If they can't tell you what your brand is (or if they don't all agree), that's going to tell you what your perceived brand (or brands) is, and how well it's being received.

Maytag sells reliability, and the repairman is bored because of it.

Next, talk to your clients. They'll always have great information for you (see the article, "Ignoring Peter And Paul" for more), and even their lack of information will prove useful to you.

Lastly, speak to people who chose not to buy your goods and services. Very often, it's brand that sells a product. To prove this point, name one model name of Maytag washing machine. You probably can't. People don't buy washing machines from Maytag, they buy reliability and durability.

Making The Pieces Fit
If you don't like what you hear, or you're not excited by and confident in your brand, it's time to change it. The worst thing you can do at this point, however, is to try to make the current pieces fit. Sure, you may have signs, businesscards, and uniforms with your current logo, but that doesn't mean it's a good one. Your logo is the one you currently have, not the one you should have. Likewise, your slogans, colors, and even philosophy could all be bad, and forcing them to fit won't make them any better.

In 1985, Coca Cola released a completely reformulated Coke. In the early 1980's, Walgreens got completely out of the restaurant business and dove into the pharmacy business. When you need to make a change, it may be simple, or it may be radical. The thing is, if the biggest companies in the world will risk changing the very foundation of their companies, you can modify your brand.

Ross would have made an amazing president, but his brand was the presidential Ford Pinto.

Moving To Brand 2.0
Get your team together, and open up discussions on your brand. Talk about what it currently is, and how you got to it. Talk about your logo, your slogan, your company culture, and just about everything you do. Discuss the internal philosophy of your company, and see if it is reflected in your brand. Better yet, determine if you even like your internal philosophy!

You got to where you are today because of your products, services, brand, marketing, blood, sweat, tears, and more. You did well. Now you want to do exceptionally well, and it's going to take an upgrade. Changing your product line, evolving your services, and changing the way you do business are all valuable actions. Often overlooked is your antiquated brand, and it's imperative you examine it fully. Your brand sells as hard for your company as your entire sales team. Empower it to do more.

Your team can probably do this on their own, and they will probably do it well. While they're doing it, however, they'll be ignoring the things they need to do to keep your company rolling along. Consider bringing in outside help, if only to lead the effort so that you can remain at the helm of the company without much distraction. And, as always, consider this time and money an important investment that will help your business get better (see "Why 'Expensive' Is Actually Cheap" for more). Years from now, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.