brand building, marketing communications
3 Steps to Brand Building.
11/06/10 07:34
It’s been said
that your brand is nothing more than the promises you
keep, not the ones you make.
Your brand is built upon who your customers or supporters believe you to be, what you do and how you do it, not who you think you are or what you would like to do.
Communicating with your audience in a way that resonates with them is hinged on building your marketing or fundraising communications on an authentic brand platform.
With an authentic brand platform you can begin to create truly effective and powerful marketing or fundraising communications by following these three steps:
1) Redefine your brand values and make them distinctive.
Don’t make the mistake of saying the same things your competitors
are saying. Don’t rattle off the same tired, thread-bare clichés about quality, value and service, for instance.
Either define these values in more distinct ways, or find other relevant values inherent to your brand and use these to build your brand personality and messaging platform.
2) Build intelligence, surprise, and wit into the brand personality and its expression.
Don’t talk down to your audience, talk up to them.
Treat your audience as the smart, good-humored people they are and they will reward you with their attention and support.
3) Get attention by being truly different.
But don’t mistake different for irrelevant.
And don’t mistake clever for creative.
Your communications must reflect relevant brand truths.
Creativity that doesn’t reflect who you really are or that is simply creative for it’s own sake will ring hollow and feel shallow.
Done right, getting attention by being different is a license to create something that’s never been done before.
And remember, being truly different and doing something that’s never been done before takes a lot of courage.
So, if you make your brand authentic, distinctive, intelligent, witty and different, you’ll be noticed, followed, purchased and supported. Sounds simple, but it isn't easy.
Your brand is built upon who your customers or supporters believe you to be, what you do and how you do it, not who you think you are or what you would like to do.
Communicating with your audience in a way that resonates with them is hinged on building your marketing or fundraising communications on an authentic brand platform.
With an authentic brand platform you can begin to create truly effective and powerful marketing or fundraising communications by following these three steps:
1) Redefine your brand values and make them distinctive.
Don’t make the mistake of saying the same things your competitors
are saying. Don’t rattle off the same tired, thread-bare clichés about quality, value and service, for instance.
Either define these values in more distinct ways, or find other relevant values inherent to your brand and use these to build your brand personality and messaging platform.
2) Build intelligence, surprise, and wit into the brand personality and its expression.
Don’t talk down to your audience, talk up to them.
Treat your audience as the smart, good-humored people they are and they will reward you with their attention and support.
3) Get attention by being truly different.
But don’t mistake different for irrelevant.
And don’t mistake clever for creative.
Your communications must reflect relevant brand truths.
Creativity that doesn’t reflect who you really are or that is simply creative for it’s own sake will ring hollow and feel shallow.
Done right, getting attention by being different is a license to create something that’s never been done before.
And remember, being truly different and doing something that’s never been done before takes a lot of courage.
So, if you make your brand authentic, distinctive, intelligent, witty and different, you’ll be noticed, followed, purchased and supported. Sounds simple, but it isn't easy.
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