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Finding the message
Developing your brand is quite a bit like telling a story. Think about it – every time you interact with a potential client, you are telling them a story about you and your business. You want to tell them the most compelling story possible, right? Well, knowing the story before you start talking makes a difference.
There are a number of things you can do to find your message. Here’s what I’ve found to be the most effective: Get yourself a pen and some paper. Get comfortable, and give yourself plenty of time to go through this. Take just a few moments to envision what you do – and I mean everything – in your business. What is the role that you play? What are your responsibilities? What are the tiny little things you do each day that go unnoticed, perhaps even by you? When you’ve got a clear picture of EVERYTHING you do in your business, start writing it down. Make the list as long as it needs to be, and go into as much detail as you like.
Finished? Now, take all of that information, and condense it into a single paragraph, with no more than 5 sentences. Take a look, and notice how the most important things you just wrote down may not have even been on that first list.
Now, when everything that is in that paragraph is crystal clear to you, write a single sentence that sums it all up. Remember, a sentence is shorter than a paragraph, so just taking out the periods and adding commas doesn’t count. Make this sentence as concise as possible, no more than 10-15 words.
Congratulations, you just found your message! Now, the next time you’re in front of a potential client, you have a clear purpose to share, and that makes all the difference in whether or not people choose to do business with you. |
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I need to order some new business cards. I didn’t like the last ones I had because the printer just put a piece of clipart on it (I don’t really have a logo), and people never really understood what I do without me having to explain it in detail. How can I avoid this same situation on my new business cards? Is it time for me to get a logo?
A logo can help send your message, but the most effective approach to solve the issues you are facing is to develop and articulate your brand.
A brand is a company’s face to the world: It is the company’s name, how that name is visually expressed through a logo and how that name and logo are extended throughout an organization’s communications. A brand is also how the company is perceived by its customers — the associations and inherent value they place on your business.
A brand is a kind of promise. It is a set of fundamental principles as understood by anyone who comes into contact with a company. A brand is an organization’s “reason for being” and how that “reason” is expressed through its various communications media to its key audiences, including customers, shareholders, employees and analysts. A brand can also describe these same attributes for a company’s products, services and initiatives.
Apple’s brand is a great example. The Apple logo is clean, elegant, and easily implemented. Notice that the company has begun to use the apple logo monochromatically (as opposed to the rainbow stripes), signaling a new era for Apple. Think about how you’ve seen the brand in advertising, trade shows, packaging, product design and so on. It’s distinctive and it all adds up to a particular promise. The Apple brand stands for quality of design and ease of use. |
| Elizabeth owns an online gift boutique. Because she doesn’t have the opportunity to tell her story face to face or over the phone, getting the right look and feel was important.
Objective:
Define the brand, “Unique Gifts for Unique People”.
Articulation:
Through use of popular color combinations, and careful font selection, the logo (above) and corporate identity clearly support the brand message. |
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