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What
is Branding and Why Do You Want It? |
by:
Susan
Dunn, Internet Marketing Coach |
Talking
about branding is like talking about leadership.
There are coaches and courses which purport
to "teach" leadership, but as we all sense
- that's why we want so badly to learn it
- leadership comes from character and inner
qualities. It's an extension of beliefs
and values the person holds and then acts
out in their life, an integral part of their
personality. You can't pick up "character"
in a seminar. It comes from years of reading,
work on yourself, exposure to great literature,
great art and great people, and plain out
experience.
Leadership isn't going to a seminar and
coming back saying, "Let's do a mission
statement," it's being so devoted to mission
yourself others can't wait to get around
you, find out what it is, and partake of
it.
Leaders lead because other people want to
follow them. There's no other reason. Not
the paycheck, not the stick . just that
feeling when we get with someone - "Hey,
I want to go where they're going. Count
me in!"
Leadership isn't a surface thing, and neither
is branding. It's what you stand for, your
personality. It's your soul and what you're
about.
Fiddling around with your logo and business
card are superficial things. They make an
impression on your consumer, yes, but they
don't have power; they only have "veto"
power. No one ever booked your services
because of your business card, but someone
may have vetoed you because of it. There
are some terrible business cards out there,
and people DO form immediate and initial
impressions. I'm thinking of the therapist
I know who - believe it or not - has a neon
fuschia business card. This is not the person
I want doing therapy on me or anyone I know.
On the other hand, I never looked at an
attorney's business card - they're all the
same, even the same font - and said, "This
is the man I want to represent me in court."
The way you get your brand across is projecting
your personality - who you ARE - in every
aspect of your business. What your webpage
looks like, the wording, the inclusion of
quotes or not, graphics, the way you handle
your customers, how well you deliver products,
promises and services. Your products and
your style.
We bond with businesses the same way we
do with people - through their personalities.
When I think about Dave, God rest his soul
in peace, and Wendy's, I think 'just a comfortable
place to be.' Actually I knew Dave, our
kids played soccer
together, and he was just the same way in
person as he was on the t.v. screen. Now
THAT'S branding.
Branding means starting with your values
and beliefs, projecting these into everything
you do, and going forward from there.
EXAMPLE
When I went into coaching, I did so because
I wanted to help people, but in my own way,
according to my beliefs and values. Coaching
is not therapy, but one thing that frustrates
me about therapy is the tight scheduling.
You can be in the middle of "And then the
man put a knife against my throat." and
your session is over.
I wanted to remove this element from my
coaching practice. I wanted to be known
for exceptional service, commitment and
connection. I wanted to be a place people
could come in their warp-speed lives and
know they would receive the time and attention
they deserved.
How we handle "time" is an important part
of our personalities. Here are some of the
ways I play with time to project my brand:
-My website is loaded with information that
takes a long time to read.
-My website takes a long time to load. We
are not in a hurry here.
-Each of my Internet courses comes with
the opportunity for unlimited email with
me. Learners are free to respond, react,
question and dialogue with me for the duration
of the course.
-I answer each email individually.
-I don't use autoresponders anywhere in
my practice.
-I don't arbitrarily limit the time of the
coaching session.
-I don't require a contract. The time is
open-ended
-I don't ordinarily book clients back-to-back.
This isn't an assembly-line.
-I offer the Don't Die at 50 Weekly Organizational
Calendar© but wait til you see it. It isn't
talking about "polish your shoes."
-I deliver my ebooks personally, that is
by email with a note. Sure this could be
an autoresponder thing, but that's not my
style. If someone has the courtesy to buy
something from me, they deserve the courtesy
of a personal note.
Everything I produce and the way I deliver
it is branded.
How about you?
BUSINESSES HAVE PERSONALITIES
Paul Temporal, author of "Advanced Brand
Management," asked people to describe two
competing companies' personalities "as if
they were people" and here's what he got.
People defined Company A as "sophisticated,
arrogant, efficient, self-centered, distant
and disinterested." Company B, the competitor,
they defined as "easy going, modest, helpful,
caring, and approachable, and interested."
Not surprisingly, 95% of the people said
they'd rather do business with Company B,
and, not surprisingly, Company B was way
ahead in the competition.
START WITH YOUR VALUES & YOUR BELIEFS
When you think about branding your business,
sit down and think about what's important
to you and what you want to project. Then
make sure everything you do speaks of this.
In other words, walk the walk, don't just
talk the talk
If it's your intent to treat customers with
respect, operationalize the term and make
sure you're actually doing it. Respect isn't
a concept; it's an action.
Modernizing your image (logo, collaterals)
"won't effect a change in brand values,"
says Temporal. "The heart of the brand remains
the same - what it stands for or its personality."
Consumer perceptions of quality, service
and other intangibles are your brand, and
what keeps them coming back for more. Are
you approachable? Are you interested? Do
you care? Do your actions show it? Your
customers won't be fooled and they have
choices.
About the Author
©Susan Dunn offers personal and professional
development coaching, Internet marketing
and article-writing services (www.webstrategies.cc/articles.htm
). Visit her on the web at www.susandunn.cc
and mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE
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