You are your brand. Make sure it speaks well of you.
The importance of building a strong brand for your business cannot be overemphasized. In the BrandingZen course, I taught you your brand is the promise you make to your customers, expressed in emotional shorthand.
And in Part 1 of The Greatest Story Never Sold, we looked at how two companies I needed to be able to rely on after the accident had completely failed to deliver on their brand promise and one, with whom I had no prior business relationship, went above and beyond.
A great brand tells a story that resonates in the hearts and minds of your target customer. The more you know about this audience, the better you’ll be able to craft the story you want to tell to communicate your brand promise.
When creating your brand, remember all brands are measured in two dimensions:
- the level of intimacy you have with your customers
- your level of stature in the mind of your customer
You drive the strength of your brand by:
- how well you’ve organized your central thoughts about your brand
- the personality of your brand
- the values your brand represents
- how you dress it up
- the emotional benefits your brand provides, and the
- hard benefits your customers receive from your brand
Tell the story that’s relevant, real, and right for you. But never forget, whatever story you decide to tell, you have to back it up with actions congruent with your brand promise.
When your actions contradict the story you’ve told, your brand will not survive. Your reputation and character will also be called into question if what you are selling is perceived to be nothing but lies.
Genuine, accidental disconnects can be identified and fixed. Blatant disregard for your customers and telling brand stories that are not consistent with how people experience your business are ultimately lethal to your bottom line.
More next time. Until then, remember to LOVE YOUR WORK, whatever it may be.
PS I hope you’ll find the new RAISING THE BAR series inspiring. If so, please share this post with friends and followers. You never know what burdens others are carrying or how much their load might be made lighter by doing so. ♥♥♥
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ABOUT RAISING THE BAR:
Raising The Bar is a new series for the SMARTSTART community that has been taking shape in my head for most of the time I’ve spent working to recover from catastrophic brain, spinal cord and psychological injuries resulting from a near fatal accident in 2009. Success, whether it’s in rehab, business, relationships, or life, hinges on our ability to master this simple formula: Belief (B) + Attitude (A) = Response (R).
I’m excited to be sharing it with you now as a next step in my injury recovery. Consider this your invitation to join me on a grand adventure. Oh, the places we will go! Including all the places that scare us most. For that is where the greatest opportunities for joy and happiness — the true measures of success — reside!