“In this ever changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart”
– Howard Schultz, former CEO Starbucks
Your brand is not your name, your logo, your website, or your product. Your brand is much bigger than that. Your brand incorporates everything you do to provide an identity for your business, while motivating and connecting with your audience. It covers the entire experience that a person has with your company.
You could describe a BRAND as a company, product or service with a personality that is shaped by the perceptions or impressions of the audience. It’s the image, the emotion and the message, that people experience when they think of you, your company, your service or your product.
- It signifies the style and image you project.
- It reflects your mission, vison, goals and core values.
- It’s the unique qualities that separate you from your competition.
- It’s your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services.
- It’s the art of calling attention to your business’s distinctive characteristics or personality.
- Your brand is developed from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.
I love this definition, from the words of brand guru, Marty Neumeier (author of the Brand Gap) “A BRAND IS A PERSON’S GUT FEELING ABOUT A PRODUCT, SERVICE, OR ORGANIZATION.” It’s a PERSON’S gut feeling, because brands are defined by individuals, not companies or markets. And It’s a GUT FEELING because people are emotional, intuitive beings. In other words: “It’s not what YOU say it is, It’s what THEY say it is.”
Think about the brands you purchase from, over and over again. Why do you choose the brands you choose? Do you buy your coffee from the same place every day? Do you recommend a specific restaurant when asked for suggestions? Well, there’s a good reason for that.
The reason we stay loyal to brands is because of their values. The best brands try hard to combine both emotional and logical values into the customer experience, ones that resonate with your own values.
When you create successful connections with your customers, many will stay loyal to you for life. This loyalty will help you increase your overall profits and build a solid foundation of brand promoters.
How are you connecting with your customers?