What is a brand? Your brand tells customers what they can expect when they purchase your product or service. Here are three steps for developing a genuine and beloved brand:
1. Define what you want your business to be known for.
Do you want to be known for stellar customer support? Cutting-edge technology? Creativity? Accuracy? Speed? Choose your focused based on what is important to your customers. Only then can you define what your brand stands for. For example, Apple computers stand for creativity—which is why their commercials compare a young, cool, happy Mac user with a stodgy, pudgy, nerdy PC user.
Here’s another example of a brand that people trust: the Walt Disney Company. Disney stands for family-oriented, wholesome fun, and that promise is upheld from the cleanliness of the Disneyland to the warmth of the staff. Parents depend on the company to consistently deliver on their brand’s promise—and, by doing so, Walt Disney Company has become a successful, long-lasting business.
2. Brand yourself as an expert in your field.
Imagine you know a journalist who is willing and eager to interview you on a regular basis. What type of expert would you bill yourself as? Alexa von Tobel, CEO of Learnvest.com, gets interviewed by The New York Times because she has branded herself as an expert onpersonal finance for young people. That’s a specific field of expertise, and it helps von Tobel stand out in an industry full of financial experts.
By selecting a precise field of expertise, you can become a sought-after intervieweeand thereby use the media’s attention to communicate the philosophy of your brand.
3. Create a website under your full name.
By now you should already have a business website. But do you also have a website that uses your name as its domain name (i.e., www.donaldtrump.com)? By creating one, your site will come up as the first search result when a customer or a journalist Googles your name. More importantly, your site will humanize your brand. Marketer Marc Gobe cites Apple as a great example of a brand that’s “like having a good friend….People need to find some grounding, that human touch, the leading hand.”
Your personal site can include a contact form, your email address, and links to your social media profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), as well your bio and photo, to make it easier for people to get in touch with you. Webs, of course, is the perfect place to snagyour name’s custom domain name and to build the site affordably and with ease.
By taking these steps, you’ll be a lot closer to having a powerful brand that communicates a consistent philosophy and provides a consistent experience. The result: loyal customers who are emotionally connected to your brand!
