How branding builds connections. and why you need both for business success.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘brand’?

‘Branding’ is one of the most elusive terms in the marketing world. If you ask someone what comes to mind when they hear that term, they’ll likely respond with: ‘logo’

(Admit it -- that’s what you thought, isn’t it?) Well, you’re not totally wrong here.

But what if we took it a step further and asked: “What is MY brand?” And yes, you have a brand.

**More than a logo**

*“Design is essential but design is not a brand.”*
*- Seth Godin*

Wikipedia says: “A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”

Did you catch that? Keyword: ‘distinct’. Suzy and Mary can have a great, distinct logo, (and I LOVE great logo artwork), but Suzy and Mary are going to need a lot more than that to embody the concept of a brand and attract business.

According to some - “Your brand is whatever your customer says it is”. Meaning, the ever elusive concept is reliant on someone’s perception and experience of YOU. Sounds a little daunting, doesn’t it?

The good news is YOU have a little bit of control here. I say a ‘little bit’ because the beauty of cultivating a rocking brand lies in the way a person interprets your brand.

You serve as the architect and guide. And your audience is an observer that you can hopefully convert to a follower, then a fan and finally -- a brand advocate.

If you’re a business owner offering a service or product you may be wondering how your brand is showing up in the world. And how to ensure it’s doing a good job at attracting more business.

So, let’s dive in.

You can’t rock your brand if you’re jamming in the background

Quick tip: show up! The ideal customer is out there, trust that, but they can’t see you if you’re not in places they go to get their information. Sadly, the idea of ‘build it and they will come’ may work for baseball fields, but it surely doesn’t work for today’s brands and businesses.

By creating great content consistently and showing up in places your ideal client spends their time, you’re increasing the likelihood that they’ll engage with you and ideally -- buy from you when they’re ready. The more often you show up with content they enjoy the greater the chance of building a connection.

Good brands create good content. Rocking brands create connections.

Ok, HOW do we build these connections? In my work with clients, I spend a good amount of time on this exercise. We dive into a discovery session -- the Brand Jam -- to uncover their rocking brand, far above just what they do, how they do it and what their logo looks like.

You build a brand that rocks by getting crystal clear on your distinct (there’s that word again) ability to connect. What is the ONE thing about your brand that will set you apart and help others remember your business? And how are you helping them remember?

You can help by creating opportunities for them to see, connect, and engage with you through memorable content on websites, social media, email campaigns, collateral materials and blogs!

Now that we’ve established what a brand is, how can you create one that resonates with your clients?

The Rocking Recipe:

1. Build a brand by figuring out what makes you distinct

2. Create consistent and valuable content

3. Connect with your ideal customers

4. Turn followers into fans and stories into sales

Each step is meant to make your brand memorable and specific to you, helping people remember you and your offerings.

These are the makings of a brand essence.

Rocking Brands attract ideal clients and repel the rest.

You may ask -- repel? Isn’t that the OPPOSITE of what we’re trying to do here? If you have a service, let me ask you this: do you want to work with everyone? The people that are bargain shoppers, and complainers and can’t-make-them-happy-no-matter-what-you-do kind of people? I know I don’t!

I want to preserve my energy and my precious time catering to clients that see the value in what it takes to create a rocking brand and are willing to invest in the process.

ROCKING brands -- the ones with a clear and distinct message, that show up consistently, and interact with ideal clients set themselves apart for greater, long-term success. They create a fanbase of people ready to use the service or buy the product. Even better, they create true brand advocates.

Because your brand is whatever your customers says it is. Help your customer say the right thing -- give them valuable content and build meaningful connections.

Rock your brand, but first - what IS a brand?