What Does Your Brand Say About YOU?
(Nothing like this, we hope!)
This is a question that every business should be asking itself all the time, not just at the launch of a product or project. If you don’t know what your brand says about you, stop everything and start thinking. Without a coherent brand, your company or business will be dead in the water.
Branding is not just a logo, tagline, advertising campaign, sharp suit, or smart business card. It’s all of these and more, and should resonate throughout your entire business. To find out what yours is saying, take off your corporate hat, and try to view your business as a potential client would. Here are some important points to consider.
What does your Web site say about your business? Is it a hard to navigate, confused jumble of words and pictures that drives people away? Or does it say what you want it to say, and accurately reflect your professionalism, skills, and services?
Does your business card portray a dynamic and confident business? Or is it made of flimsy, cheap material that, in effect, says that you’re not really bothered?
A potential client’s first contact with your business might be via your answering system. What does it communicate about your company? We’re busy and don’t want to be hassled, or we value your business and are eager to help. There’s no point investing thousands of dollars on impressive stationery and a good Web site, if clients find themselves traveling in circles around a maze of pre-recorded messages and options.
If you are not winning contracts, or are having trouble breaking into a new marketplace, take the time to consider what your brand is saying about you. Maybe it needs to be refreshed and reinvigorated? Change is a process that takes a lot of time, effort, and courage.
Draw up a list of keywords that you believe define and represent your business's services and ethos. Is it innovative, modern, progressive, leading, and professional?
Are these words reflected in your logo? If you were to ask any member of your business what your company stands for, would they come up with the same list of words as you? Would they feel it and believe it? If a potential client visits your Web site, will they pick up on the same themes?
It’s likely that you have several competitors in your field. Knowing what your brand says about you is more than standing out from the rest of the pack or offering an excellent alternative. A client should make an emotional connection with your company and see you as the only one it can do business with. Everything you do, every marketing campaign or product you launch, every time a member of staff speaks to a client; they all play a part in defining your brand. So, to succeed, keep asking yourself, what does my brand say about ME? 
