What Goes Into Your Branding Briefcase?
I coach and speak a lot about branding because it’s the single most important asset a business or persona has. It’s how people think about you, perceive you and, most importantly, talk about you to others. Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos says it best, “Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It delivers trust. It speaks to credibility. It takes a long time to build and can be lost in minutes. Branding speaks to consistency. You know when you go to McDonalds, if nothing else, you’ll get some of the world’s best fries. When you buy an Apple product you believe that you’re buying a quality product, great design, and visionary technology. Branding is power, longevity, and ultimately revenue. Everyone needs branding for their business. Branding is something you can carry along with you throughout your career. So, how do you get it and what exactly goes into your branding briefcase?
Reputation and History
Let’s look once more at the McDonalds example. McDonalds has a reputation built upon a long history of serving customers. In fact, that history of service is listed on every single set of golden arches across the world. They went from “One Billion Served” to “Over 99 Billion” and counting. That history is important to customers. It means other people liked that product or service enough to keep them in business for a long time. Of course, to get to that point where you have a history, you need to build good and lasting impression. We’ve all been told “you only get one chance to make a good impression” and you should think of your brand the same way. Be able to dazzle your clients with your story. Leave people with a great first impression of your brand so that you can build a history.
Media Branding
This is my area of expertise having been a journalist for a number of years. We were made to realize the power we had to shape ideas and it was imprinted upon us that quality and accuracy were vital when telling a story. People still look at networks ABC, CBS, and NBC for truth. They trust those brands as much as they might be criticized in today’s society. That trust is therefore extended to the people they cover, which is why so many businesses seek media exposure. Clients see the media logo on a website or ad and automatically assume that the business is either special or an authority at what they do. Using those media clips and logos on your website or materials provides a very strong stamp of credibility.
Testimonials
Testimonials can go a long way to helping people understand your unique value and quality. You want future customers to know how awesome you are and there is nobody who can convey that as well as a past customer. Gather up testimonials either in writing or on video if you can and put them on your website, marketing materials, and social media. They not only confer trust, but also help to showcase specific talents or qualities that you may have.
Awards and Associations
You will note that all of my materials say “Emmy Award Winning” because it is not only one of my proudest achievements but one of my strongest qualifications in the eyes of clients. Everyone has heard of the Emmy Awards. If you have an award or are part of an elite association you want to highlight that as part of your brand. People that have never heard of you before may have heard of your university, your association, certification, or award. This sets you apart from people who do not have such accolades. When choosing between a company that has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau or one that hasn’t been, customers will go with the company that has that accreditation. Use those and feature them prominently on all your materials.
Social Media
Social media can be a powerful branding tool for your business. The more popular you are, the more trusted you are. People see someone with thousands of followers and believe they have something to say. In fact, those numbers are often what determine if you are followed, watched, or friended. Someone with 86K Twitter followers or 100K views on YouTube will be far more impressive than someone with 200. This is only obvious. What is not always obvious is that the Internet user of today is savvy enough to use a tool to see if those followers are organic. Buying followers isn’t the way to go. Using influencers to build your online social media reputation is another story. Having an influencer recommend your product, service or account can make a vast difference for your brand.
Branding is the single most important thing you can do for your business and I suggest to everyone that from their very first start in business until they retire, they should pack a branding briefcase with everything that supports their credibility and use it to continually fuel their marketing. Get packing.