By Raksha Mahabeer (The Beat), co-founder of Summertime
Imagine your business was a person… What would she look like? How would she talk? What would she say? Which words would she use? Would she talk passionately, using casual language? Or would she employ a more classical and formal tone? Why would people engage with her in conversation? Would she behave consistently and therefor build rapport and trust with others?
In my previous blog, entitled “Do I have a brand?”, I asked you to ponder what your clients associate with your brand? Much like you think “Sheer Driving Pleasure” when you think BMW, your clients and the larger market think of something when they think of your business (that’s if you’re lucky enough for them to think anything at all…).
When we guide our clients from small and medium businesses at SummerTime, the vibrant creative studio specialising in design, branding and marketing which I co-own, we ask them to contemplate what their business’ brand is or what they would like it to be…
Once you have a clear, concise and consistent vision in mind for the brand of your business, it’s time to strategise about how you’ll go about creating it. At this point, it’s helpful to recap what a brand is (as per my previous article in this blog series on small and medium business branding) “Your brand can be seen as your promise. It’s a set of symbols that alludes to what people can expect when they deal with you.”
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
First things first, figure out what promise you want your brand to be associated with. Ask yourself what you want your business to stand for and what you want your business to mean.
Referring to your mission and vision statement may help clarify things for you. Another tactic you can employ is to take time out for a “brain dump session” – where you write every single word that comes to mind when you think of your business. If you have a team of employees, pulling them into this session may prove highly enlightening. Also have a look at what your competitors or role-models are conveying. What expectations do they create? How do they deliver on them?
Moored. Meaningful. Memorable.
While you’re busy refining what you want your brand to stand for and what you want your brand to mean, remember to ensure that you craft a brand that is moored and consistently delivers meaning to all of your stakeholders. A brand with meaning is memorable, it translates into a brand you remember and ultimately a business you want to support.
Determine. Define. Deliver.
Once you’ve determined an extensive and comprehensive list of associations and expectations that you associate (or would like to associate) with your business, it’s time to define (and refine) your brand. Ideally, you want a concise and gripping vision of what your brand will be, what it should look like, what it should feel like, what it should promise.
Of course, nothing leaves customers and clients more disappointed than empty promises, so once you’ve clarified and crafted your business brand vision you need to DELIVER on it!
How do I determine which characteristics my brand should embody, you ask? Simple, stay tuned to this blog series – positioned to delve deeper into the world of branding and marketing while casting light on what actions you can take to create a successful brand, how you can entrench that brand in your business and, ultimately, how you can leverage your brand to inform and drive your marketing endeavours for business success - as I’ll be exploring what makes a bankable brand.
So until my next blog on “What three characteristics make a brand successful?”, may the (branding) force be with you…
The Beat
Raksha Mahabeer, or ‘The Beat’ as she is known, is a proudly South African entrepreneur, she co-owns SummerTime, a vibrant creative studio specialising in design, branding and marketing. She is a connector, a communicator, a purpose-driven, inspired inspirer! She prides herself in partnering with SMEs in establishing new brands with a view to create jobs in South Africa and the African continent. Believing in business actualisation through conscious creativity, Raksha is a marketing and brand strategy expert with a keen strategic, creative and business mind focused on assisting SMEs in their endeavour to formulate effective marketing strategies that highlight tangible value and meet real human needs. On a personal level, she describes herself as a finger-tapping, drum-beating, music-making, cloud-watching, pixie-prancing, tree-hugging, fire-walking, soul-dancing, Yoda-quoting, oneness-embracing, effervescent, hippie-at-heart!
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