5 Rules of Branding
There is more to creating and promoting a brand than making a pretty logo and tagline. In fact, a logo and tagline are just representations of your brand. Following are several rules to help you create, promote and maintain your brand.
5 Rules of Branding
1. Be specific
Know what your brand stands for, and know what your brand promises. Your brand promises should be precise and attainable, and you should be able to communicate them clearly. For example, don’t just say your brand stands for quality. That’s a broad statement that any company can make. How does your brand specifically live and breathe quality? Those specifics are what will make your brand stand out from your competition.
2. Be authoritative
Once you know what your brand stands for and promises, don’t be afraid to flaunt it. You need to make everyone else believe you’re the leader and authority in your area of expertise and specialization. Don’t meekly communicate your message. Say it with powerful words and conviction.
3. Be consistent
Get your brand message out there and don’t waiver on it. I’ve read statistics in the past that state as soon as you’re tired of your message, your customers are just starting to recognize it. A consistent message and customer experience are critical elements to building your brand.
4. Be honest
In today’s world, people welcome honesty and your business will be rewarded for it. Don’t offer promotions or guarantees you can’t deliver. Instead, admit your fallibility and deliver on your promises. Integrity goes a long way.
5. Be relentless
Get your brand message out there. Then get it out again and again and again. People are inundated with a myriad of messages each day. It’s not only critical that you try to stand out from the competition but it’s equally important that you are not forgotten. Don’t drop the ball on communicating your brand promise and building your brand image. Your efforts will be rewarded in time.
These rules apply to company, product and personal branding. They are simple, basic rules that are critical to your brand’s overall success. What rule or rules would you add to this list?
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Connect with Susan Gunelius
6. Focus your efforts to your specific market, (and that is?) and avoid mass marketing. Who are you selling to?
7, Have a marketing plan. Are you the low cost leader; or the higher priced super dependable, great warranty, etc. You’d be surprised how many salespeople are selling one, and are actually the other one!
8. When you find a plan commit to it, and stay the course!
9. Believe in yourself, if you don’t your prospects will smell it a mile away.
9. There’s at least a hundred more great one’s, I’ll leave some for someone else. Great Blog!
Ps, come see us once in awhile Susan, you have great Idea’s!!!
Great additions to the list, Bob! I promise to come visit soon. I’m just digging out from writing my latest book, which I put in the mail to the publisher today. Once I catch up on everything else I’ve been putting off, I’ll be back among the living and blog-hopping again! Thanks for sticking with me even though I’ve been a bit MIA lately.
I’m an Identical twin. My mother has some great stories. I can’t even Imagine Triplets! We’re looking forward to your next book!
I feel that Video Branding is a great way to connect to a NEW customers, you are not hiding behind the computer screen but putting your face in the public eye, and hopefully building a good reputation and following, and we are also getting lazy. meaning people would watch a video explaining about a product or showing them how to do something, than spending time reading.