Ok, so you have been hearing a lot lately about branding. You have to brand yourself, you have to brand your business, you have to brand your organization. But what does that really mean?
Traditionally, branding referred to a brand. A trademark, a look, a logo. But like your waistband after Christmas, it has expanded. Now it includes anything that makes an impression. In addition to a logo, it also includes things like the layout of your newsletter, your website, even how people are greeted when they phone.
So you see, even if you haven’t deliberately set out to brand your company, it already has one. By strategically putting into place a branding plan, you can have some say in whether it is the brand you want or not. In other words, ignoring branding doesn’t make it go away, it just means you aren’t the one in the driver’s seat.
There are many different ways to go about the branding process, but I am going to outline a quick and dirty process that will get you started. Just remember, branding is an ongoing process, it isn’t a one-time deal.
1. What is your brand?
Make sure you really understand what impression or brand you are trying to convey. If you aren’t crystal clear, your brand won’t be clear either. There is an old church saying, “If there’s a mist in the pulpit, there’ll be a fog in the pews.” You can’t communicate what you don’t know.
2. Does your existing look reflect your brand?
If you want to convey young and hip, but your logo, packaging and signs say old and stodgy, you have some re-working to do.
3. Who are your stakeholders?
Sit down with a paper and pen and make a list of all your stakeholders.
4. What are your contact points?
For each stakeholder, list each point of contact. This might include phone calls, person-to-person, emails, in store etc.
5. Does your brand shine through at each contact point?
Is there consistency from the point of first contact, through to the last? If you are a church, are you playing raunchy shock-rock music when people phone in and are put on hold? If you are a daycare wanting to brand itself as stable and loving, is the person who greets visitors a gum-snapping, multi-pierced youngster distractedly chatting on a cell phone?
Sound a bit overwhelming? Don’t worry, luckily you aren’t a cow and so branding shouldn’t be painful.
