Many organisations see their brand as just as the logo or the pretty, design-y bits … just something they may need to on our website and business cards. And whilst those pretty bits, the visual identity part of your brand, are a vital part of communicating your brand identity, there is so much more to your brand, than meets the eye.
So, what is your brand?
Your brand is a collection of perceptions about your organisation, formed by every communication, action and interaction (inside and out). It is what people see and feel, when they interact with your organisation. It’s a collective set of expectations and beliefs, about what you do and how well you do it.
You could say that your brand might be represented by the following elements:
Blueprint
Your brand is a blueprint or masterplan of your customer experience. It needs to be delivered consistently across all areas of your business.
Relationship
Your brand is the thoughts, feelings and psychological relationship between you and your audiences.
Agreement
Your brand is a promise of what your clients will experience from your business. It is the implied agreement that is made between business and customer.
Nature
Your brand is the inherent nature of your business – the personality, the character, the style. It is what makes you different or distinctive. It is your essence, the emotional association to your brand.
Distinction
Branding (the communication of your brand) aims to make your business ‘stand out from the crowd’, unique and distinctly identified as different from others.
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room
Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
A well-crafted brand can …
- Further your message and reach.
- Build affinity with your audience.
- Attract and retain the right staff.
- Build trust and confidence.
- Develop advocates for your brand.
- Help to secure finding.
- Build your business.
So, how does your brand stack up?
- How does your brand connect?
- How is your brand integrated or embedded within your organisation?
- How do the people within your organisation live and reflect your brand, your values and your purpose in their work, and in the way they interact with each other, with your clients and stakeholders?
- How do you feel your brand – that collection of perceptions about your organisation – is perceived.. both within your organisation (by your staff and colleagues) and externally (by your clients)?
- Do you feel that your brand aligns well with your culture and customer experience?
How many organisations can say that they feel their brand truly represents their organisation?
Do you want to do it better?
Take a look at our other posts on this subject or talk to us