Building Your BRAND online

When many entrepreneurs, small business owners and even experienced marketers in larger organizations think of the term “brand” they think of pretty colors, expensive logos, fancy graphics, Facebook cover photos, Pinterest boards and traditional tv or radio advertisements.
Smart marketers know branding is much more than a logo. In reality, the logo is the easy part and only one small yet very important component of your brand.
Smart and savvy marketers also understand the importance of building a brand architecture and strategy inclusive of the brand identity with supporting visuals, language and more. The colors, language and visuals are supporting elements, not “the” brand. Big difference.

Your brand is your promise and value you offer customers, your community and all who come in contact with your brand. It's a promise delivered. It's value received. It's community. It's relationship. It's empowerment, inspiration, education and the list goes on.

Are you influencing brand perception in a positive way?

Your brand is your personality, communication, tone and perceptions of all who experience your brand. At the root of your brand are a set of experiences.
You can't control perception. However, you can influence perception if you know how to build, launch and manage your brand architecture. Every brand touch is an opportunity to influence perceptions, to build your reputation.
At the core, your brand is rooted in who you are and how you care about others. It's not just about you. It's not just about pretty colors or a logo you pay a marketing or branding agency big bucks to design. It's not a brand manual the same agency delivers and you don't look at again until the next agency asks for it.
Your brand is the foundation and one of the most important aspects of your business. Regardless of the size of your business, you have one chance to make a first, second and third impression. Every brand touch counts. Every brand touch is influencing perception and building your reputation. You are either earning trust, building though leadership and relationships or you are not!
A good brand architecture and strategy will enable you to better share your brand story in an authentic way. Doing such can emotionally bring people closer to your brand in a very real, meaningful and human way. The more confidence you have in your brand foundation the more confidence your ideal customer will have in believing in your brand promise.

BY
OSCAR NJUHO.