A Brand Digs Deeper

Building a brand is far more than a logo, and certainly more than advertising.

There’s thousands of ways to say it but really, a brand is a promise. And all the experiences someone has with a brand add up to: Did the brand keep it’s promise?

Because brand is more than a logo, advertising, and graphic design - to truly deliver, you have to go deeper.

You can build a better brand (or experience) by going beyond the “shallow-end” and asking:

• Are we quick to address concerns?
• Do we address those concerns effectively? Truly?
• Did we do what we said we’d do? When we said we’d do it?
• Are we authentic?
• Do we cut corners?
• Are we answering the phone the “right” way?
• Are you easy to talk about?
• Do we make it easy for our customers to spread the word?
• Are we interesting to our customers?
• Do you make it easy before buying?
• Are you easy to come back to?
• How are you making your customer smile (even after they’ve bought something)?

These are (deceptively) small things we forget about. But, these are the most important things. These are the things people remember, and share with they’re friends - for better or for worse.

Brand is customer service, it’s nuance, and it’s subtle. Without this stuff, well your “brand” is just a logo. What would you rather have?

Rules for Thinking

I hate checklists. Period. They make me claustrophobic.

I find whenever I get into a heated debate, at it’s heart it’s typically because someone’s enforcing a old-timey rule that has become completely irrelevant.

There are 2 ways to manage people. The first: Rules. Rules, checklists, and binders full of policies. This way is right. If you’ve hired a whole lot of people that can’t make decisions. OR, you haven’t shared your vision of the brand so they can’t make a decision. Then it’s up to you to micro-manage.

The work becomes maintaining the rules and checklists rather than doing the actual work.

The second is “belief”. When you hire great people, envision them, and don’t bog them down with an epic dusty tome full of policies, processes and rules - you get people making the right (brand-based) decisions.

And you don’t have to maintain a library of checklists.

Rules stop people from thinking. Help people understand “why” and they will always do the right thing, rules or not.

Psst... your brand is already interactive

The question is: Are you a part of the conversation?

Wether you like it or not, your brand is already interactive. Your brand may not be socialized, technically advanced or even accessible. But it is interactive.

Just because you aren't there (social media), doesn't mean your brand isn't.

Why should you care?

People don’t need advertising to tell them what to think about a brand anymore. In fact people have decided that they not only not need advertising, but they simply don’t want it.

So how did people get so powerful? Simple... ready? People trust other people more then they trust companies.

This creates a whole new way en which we qualify brands... and it’s people driven.

Ok, this is awesome you say! Now the question is: How is your brand taking advantage of this? Well, if you don’t already have a plan, here’s how you can get started...

• Craft your strategy. It could be as simple as “Invite people into the conversation”. Or even “Be a part of the conversation”. Remember, to always ask “why”, before “what”.
• Once people are in, make sure it’s a 2-way conversation. You have to speak to them. After all this is priceless feedback! People pay for this type of focus group.
• Adjust based on the right feedback. Just because your having a conversation doesn’t mean you have to do everything people say. Most of the time people just want to be heard.
• Learn to swim first. You don’t have to go crazy with social media tools, and take a 160 degree turn on the way you’ve been doing things up ti’ll now... start small and get comfortable first. Your initiative can grow as you do.

If you don’t think your brand is interactive, and socially connected - think again.

Just because it’s not initiated by you doesn’t mean it’s not happening... go ahead, just Google or Twitter search your brand and you’ll see. Everyone else is treating your brand as if it’s interactive - isn’t it time you started leading the way?