Your Branding doesn't start with your customers.
It starts with taking a Deep Dive into YOU.
Branding has 3 elements
1.Character
‘Who’ is your Business?
Your verbal (tone) and visual (typeface, colors, logo and images) identity What’s your Point of Difference?
What movie or movie star would your Business be? What type of music would your Business be?
2.Clarity
‘What’ do you do? How long does it take for strangers to understand your business? Simplify, don’t Mystify.
3.Consistency - 2 types
1) Showing up consistently over time, in different places
2) Having the same look and feel across all platforms. Do you 'talk' differently on the phone than on your website???
Branding is a Structure that does not change. However, its contents can change. Here’s is an explanation of Branding using an advertisement that appears monthly in a magazine.
Imagine it's a 1 page Ad, divided into 4 equal squares
Quadrant 1 is always a headline, it changes monthly
Quadrant 2 is always a photograph, it changes monthly
Quadrant 3 is always details, they changes monthly
Quadrant 4 never changes. It's your business colors, logo, and contact details
In this example the format (branding) stays the same and the content changes.
If a Brand (meaning a business) changes its core focus (its Brand) too much, the whole business can collapse. E.g. A chain of Bookstores that adds gift-ware, coffee and food … so people get confused about 'what it is' - Is it a Bookstore or a Cafe? So popularity declines.
If it launched as a Bookstore/Cafe maybe that would have worked.
If a Brand adds products/services, that don't 'fit' with it’s core focus, they may fail. E.g. Coke adding different flavours that didn't catch on.
It’s all a delicate balance.
Storytelling
The oldest form of marketing is Storytelling.
From complex stories (e.g. Shakespeare) to simple stories (e.g. TV Commercials) the best stories are Entertaining, Informative, Inspiring and Poetic.
Don’t be afraid to reveal your stories. They're a part of your character - your Brand.
Your customers need to know you, to trust you.
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