Building a great brand is never once-and-done. It’s more than a name, logo and graphics. It’s a frame of mind — an experience — with a narrative that stays relevant and makes its audience part of the story.
Brand Building begins on a foundation of who you are, what you offer and why it matters to your audience. It’s shaped by how you connect emotionally with your customers, distinguish your business and, ultimately, deliver on your promise. It’s sustained by consistency, thought-leadership and calculated effort. And, when done right, it adds equity to your business.
But, a great brand is also a story that’s never completely told. Like building a personal relationship, you need to know your audience, understand their needs and always be there for them. You have to be creative and agile. That means listening to your customers and possessing the humility to question your own decisions.
The well-managed brand adapts to evolving markets without compromising the identity or diluting itself. If you can’t quickly respond to change in a beneficial way, perhaps you’ve dug in too deep or haven’t been paying enough attention.
To maintain a healthy brand, continually engage your customers and make them part of the story. Always watch your competitors for ways to distinguish yourself from them. Follow industry thought leaders and add to the narrative. Be willing to accept change and adapt to it. Stay out of your own way and allow the chapters of your story to unfold.
And your brand might just live happily ever after.
Related Posts
A Great Brand Requires Enduring Vision
As the year closes, ask yourself how your current challenges and objectives align with your overall vision. Have you lost your way, or are you sticking to your Brand Promise? Is it still meaningful to your customers and prospects? Have you allowed yourself the room to evolve with their needs, or have you boxed yourself in?
What’s in a Name, Anyway?
If your business is like ours, you don’t have a bottomless marketing budget to build awareness of a name that lacks clarity. We have to be more calculated and deliberate.
Three Major Hurdles of Business Naming
Business naming is one of the more difficult things we do. Aside from the creative challenges, there are three major hurdles we have to leap. For every name we present, there are, literally, dozens of candidates that never make the cut. The client never sees any of those.
Bringing Out the Best.
Greatness cannot be achieved within a vacuum. It takes vision, perseverance and a team of experts to make it happen. It requires an understanding of what your audience wants, even if it’s something that doesn’t quite exist. You aim high, learn from your failures and never say, “It can’t be done.”
Six Telltale Signs to Knowing when You Have a Weak Brand
If any of these scenarios seem familiar, perhaps it’s time to consider retooling your brand.
True Leadership Is in Knowing when to Follow
The more experts you keep in your circle, the better you’ll be at determining your next great move. And, the better chance you’ll have that your crew will follow and grow with you.