Branding
It's not what you do. It's how you do it.
Branding is often misunderstood. You could say that how a person experiences a company is the brand—visually and through conversations and experiences. These videos and a workbook (coming soon) will help you clarify your brand communications so you can improve your customer experiences.
Often we believe that our company's brand is communcating who it is, but what if you have a misunderstanding of who it is and you are miscommunicating your brand? Or what if your brand doesn't represent what you think it does? Lots to consider in this Master Class package to get your brand back on-track to help your customers better understand who your company is, the value it offers, and the problems it solves to increase your company's bottom line.
Branding is often misunderstood. Many see it as colors, fonts, and logos, but that is only the visual expression and communication of a product or company. Branding goes much deeper; it represents the soul of a company—its essence. It is the foundation from which many business decisions are made, and it plays a significant role in mergers and acquisitions, corporate cultures, and determining company value. If you observe companies and their deals, many decisions are driven by their corporate vision and brand values.
A common challenge for companies is their customers misunderstanding who a company is and what it does. Usually, this is identified as being either a brand or reputation problem. These two issues are typically intertwined, and one can be a symptom of another. But to identify and fix the true problem takes not just sleuthing: you have to truly understand the difference between the two to understand if what you are observing is a symptom or the true cause of what you are observing.
We can use a scoring approach that is similar to the accountability approach to equalize content as much as possible so we can more easily identify what is working or not working. However, this analysis is different in that here we are analyzing what is being communicated and how that is done rather than if a company is delivering on its promise. And that is consistent with my favorite way to describe branding: it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.
When we focus on creating a brand, identifying brand values, and developing a corporate culture, we sometimes forget that there are baseline culture “types” defined according to the organizational culture assessment instrument (OCAI). We don’t realize that our company’s culture reflects our company’s brand, defined by our company’s vision and mission statements, and impacts how we interact with customers. And although a customer experience is an extension of a company’s brand, it is also an extension of a company’s culture.
When a brand is authentic to its vision, mission, and values, it becomes an engine. But what happens when a company isn’t authentic to its vision, mission, and values? Exactly what happens with individuals.
The Workbook
This workbook helps professionals who learn through action and activity. Get the same information for how to create great experiences that's included in the book by analyzing your own existing plans. Discover how small changes and shifts in thinking about your business and customers can transform your customer experiences and conversations to create long-lasting relationships.
My favorite way to describe branding: It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.
This workbook will guide you to consider what your brand is and to determine if it is consistent with your understanding of your company. From there, you can decide if you are communicating your company’s brand in the most effective and engaging way.
Questions you'll be able to answer after working on these exercises:
- Is your company’s brand communication aligned with its brand values?
- Does your company’s customer experiences reflect its culture and values?
- How do you want your customers and stakeholders to experience your company?
- Is the company’s brand and experience contributing to the bottom line?
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