What is a brand? “It’s a promise,” said Sharron Ragan, branding expert, at a recent conference on LinkedIn and Branding, hosted by Competitive Edge Social Media Marketing, June 22, at The Georgian Club in Marietta. “Brand development is the sum of the good, the bad, the ugly and the off-strategy. It’s the feeling, the smell, the taste, the sound, and the visual.”
Ragan noted that there are two components of a brand: the verbal and the visual. Both become the psychological concepts held in the public’s mind, where “they stay forever.”
While Ragan went into great detail about the verbal and visual identify of brands, here’s a condensed list of the 7 step-process for verbal identity.
- Core values. Start with descriptor words that describe your business (e.g., great customer service). Keep it somewhere close and laminate it. Don’t reveal it to the public, but make sure that they are evident in every aspect of the business and customer service promise.
- Target audience. Who are you selling to? What’s their problem? Does your product/service solve it? It’s important to know their age, gender, where they shop, what they like, read and buy.
- Key messages. These are your business’s key messages. They should be put into a fact sheet and include: when did your business begin, what industry are you in, what type of product do you sell and how is it different? Everything you say becomes the core foundation of who you are. Messages should include your story and business value. Think Apple. Steve Jobs “loaned” his story to Apple. It was a great story and that’s the foundation of the company still today.
- The Tagline – Everyone wants a tagline that says “Just Do It.” The key is if you have an abstract name (e.g., The Smith Group), you need a descriptive tagline. The opposite is true if you have a descriptive name (e.g., Best Accounting Practices).
- The Elevator Pitch – It starts with a brief, memorable statement. A short way to reinforce your message to your targeted customer base. It includes 3-5 key messages in simple terminology. Its purpose is to create curiosity and entice potential customers.
- Logo – It includes color, movement, design, gender, icons, age group, psychology and other factors. It requires thought about what you want to convey and who you want to be.
- Execution – This includes marketing, advertising, public relations, print and digital media and social media marketing.
Branding is a process, not something you can do overnight. Before you think about changing your brand, know your brand equity. Review your brand image every three to five years, to say current with clients and customers.