American Express – New Ink. Used Ideas.

As I was reading this section one point stuck with me.

Your brand and your product’s brand are two different things.

Now, a year ago I did an entire series on personal branding and this topic was covered, but there is no harm in touching on it again. See, your product is created by your company. But your brand is created and sustained in the mind of your customers. It’s the feeling they get when they see your advertisement. An authentic brand is one that appears truthful, and cares about their customers. If you want more on some of the strongest business and their brands, follow the link.

http://www.interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2018

So, what is my brand? No really. I am trying to figure me out. Am I ‘cuppa & nibbles’ or ‘Boom Books’ or maybe ‘Stealing Lunch & Learnin’’? I guess I can be a bit of all three. Ya think? I just want to know what you are getting out of this little journey of ours. Are you finding new and more interesting ways to nab snacks from the break room? Are you learning more about yourself and how you want the world to see you and your goals? Or are you kickin’ back waiting for me to put out another book or 34? <– I will. Just wait. But until that happens let’s take a trip to the coffee/tea pot and top off our cuppas, and root around in the back of the snack cabinet. You might be surprised what you find. People are always forgetting yummies back there.

Unless it is a kiwi, fuzzy and green should not be a food option.

If they are fuzzy and/or green you may want to pass on it. Just sayin’. You do that while I dig out my copy of Digital Marketing All-in-One for Dummies, A Wiley Brand. We are going to be covering a few details about branding- of yourself and your company/ product. Cool? Cool.

Sometimes.

Why are brands important? Think about it like the cover of a book. I know they say never judge a book by its cover, but we do. Your brand is a visual representation of your company (or you). When you are looking at a rack of books the one you pick up and scan the back of is the one that drew your visual attention. We like to believe we choose these things based on what we read but did you pick up the one with the simple cover? Did you read the blurb on the back to see if it could be a cool story? Doubtful.

Branding is important because:

It helps you differentiate yourself from your competition.
Your company can continue to thrive while phasing out certain products.
Helps customers identify you and your products to friends and family.
Builds loyalty in your customer base.
Is an asset.
Builds pride within their employee base. Nothing says awesome business better than the way they treat their staff.

Brand Reality: How do you know what your customers think of you?

True Brand Compass Framework (Forrester Research) or TRUE, was created for just this dilemma.

Trusted: Do your customers/clients feel you are trustworthy? What is your evidence in your belief?

Remarkable: Do your customer share you with others in their social circle? What are you doing to make this easy to do?

Unmistakable: How do you stand out from all your competitors? Can you show how you are different from your competition?

Essential: Are you a part of your customer’s everyday life? Are you as important as coffee? (Asking for a friend.)

Things to consider moving forward in creating your brand are things you don’t normally think about…taglines, design, logo, colors. These are ways to distinguish you and your brand.

Tagline: cuppa & nibbles…? Find joy. Be joy. Enjoy…? Make it memorable- for example: