Branding is about authenticity

A glimpse into a session in the Accelerator on articulating your brand promise

Hey everyone, I am Andrea Magnell of TLC Autism Parent Community. TLC is a start-up non-profit that supports the parents of children with autism because parents need support just as much as children do. When parents are supported, children thrive.

I can’t believe we just completed week 9 here at the accelerator. It has been an amazing journey so far, filled with many inspiring teachers and topics but I have to say that this week was a personal favorite for me. We had the honor and privilege of being the first class ever to be taught by the Andelicious Ande Lyons. What a treat it was to have her share her energy, her expertise and her experience with us in this weeks class on branding.

Ande taught us that branding is the essence of our businesses. It is more than just creating an image, it is about evoking emotions. Ande said “Branding is about tapping into an emotional current that energize your customer and comes from your heart.” Branding is about authenticity, credibility and delivering a specific emotional experience to your customer. The emotional experience you promise to deliver is your “brand promise.” When you think about creating your brand and your brand promise, think about how you want your customer to feel when they think about your business, about you and about your brand.

We also learned that marketing is not the same as branding. You can be a great marketer and have amazing market research and tons of data but if you don’t have a solid sense of your brand and make choices that stay true to your brand promise people won’t connect to you.

Your brand promise should guide you in each and every decision you make regarding your business. Who you advertise with, what you put out on social media, how you present yourself personally and professionally and what companies you associate with should all be in line with your brand. Be prepared to protect your brand promise and to rely on it when faced with challenging situations.

Remember to always keep it authentic, keep it honest and stay true to your brand. I will leave you with the same Maya Angelou quote that Ande closed the class with.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”