When we talk about branding, too many people jump straight to thinking about the visual identity - logos, color palettes, fonts., catchy tagline. Sure, those elements are part of the visual identity of a brand, but they barely scratch the surface of capital B BRAND. Your brand is your reputation. Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. When I was at Drift, the brand became known for the term "conversational marketing" and it also became known for an approach to marketing that was innovative, approachable, and not like any of the competitors in the space at the time. Brand encompasses every interaction a customer has with your business, from the quality of your products or services to the way your customer service team handles inquiries, to the sales process (yes, the sales process is a big part of "brand"). Brand is the emotional and psychological relationship your customers have with your business. And if I had to pick ONE key ingredient for brand, it wouldn't be the visuals, the tone, the style, the approach to marketing. All of that comes secondary. The #1 ingredient for building a brand is your positioning. Positioning defines how your product should be seen in the eyes of your customers. Positioning sets the context for how you want people to see your product. Why do you exist? How do you help customers make money or save money? How are you different than the competition? The goal of positioning is to create a unique impression in the customer's mind so that they associate something specific and desirable with your brand that sets it apart from competitors. And that is where brand building starts. |
