So what’s a brand anyway?

In my 8 years of operating Liquid Web Designs we’ve helped hundreds of small businesses take steps in advancing toward success.  Both in web development and business development.  And I look forward to using our experience to create helpful dialogue and solutions in our new small business blog, but which topic would garner the distinction of being first?

Rule of thumb: When you aren’t sure where to begin, start at the beginning.

I recently attended two separate presentations and had force myself to sit quietly as I listened to each speaker incorrectly represent the concept of a corporate brand.  The speakers referenced the company’s logo and the company’s brand interchangeably.  Truly, a company’s brand is its foundation from which all things emanate and its proper establishment is necessary for true business growth.  So I decided to set the record straight.  My choice was clear.

One of the largest distinctions between large and small businesses (aside from cashflow) is the proficiency in which they implement their brand. “A company’s brand is the manifestation of it’s core principles.” (that statement is in quotes because I just spoke it aloud)  A company’s brand is not it’s logo, its not it’s tagline, and its not it’s brochure. Those items are merely brand elements.

Small businesses may do well in their industry.  They may have begun in an extra bedroom, graduated into office space and have added five or six employees, maybe more. But at some point their growth slowed, maybe stopped.  This could be the result of any number of reasons, but it is my experience (from over 150 small businesses I have encountered) the lack of brand harmony is the all-to-frequent culprit.

Take a moment to think back. Is your business’ focus today the same as it was when you launched it?  What about your strategy?  What about your target customers?  Probably not.  So how could your message possibly still be in sync (if it ever was)?  Hmmm, maybe you were focussed on keeping the lights on?

This is the nature of small business growth.

Unfortunately without including your brand strategy in your growth strategy it’s easy for your core message to become diluted and your overall effectiveness to loose efficiency.  For this reason ALL companies should periodically revisit their brand to ensure harmony between what your business stands for and what your business is actually doing.

So this brings us back to the original question “So what’s a brand anyway?”

A brand is a business’ ideology that represents that business at its core. It is effectively the sum total of three levels of identification;

1. Who you are and where do we find you?
2. What experience are you promising your customers?
3. What single item elevates you from your competition?

Identifying the answers to these three questions (re)establish who you are as a business.  Essentially, you will have defined your brand.  Its a very simple but difficult exercise.  All the familiar items (logo, tagline, color scheme, brochure, etc) are harmonious extensions of the brand and, when developed from its foundation, are laser focussed and ready to take you to the next level!

Is your business’ collateral in harmony with your core message?  Can you clearly state what your core message is? These are the tough questions that can turn a good business into a great business. How will yo know if  you’re successful?  Everything will be in harmony when it all rings true. To you, your employees and your customers.