Your brand is a perception that lives in the minds of your target audience. Yes, it’s an audience and that audience includes your customers, employees and the communities in which you do business. So, if you haven’t taken the time to define your brand then how can you manage to a perception you want to create?
Now is the time to either take control of leading the way for your brand’s future and creating the desired perception OR you could let your customers and staff arbitrarily do it for you. If your customers define your brand, they will be influenced by your employees who have no idea of the perception you want to create. If your employees know and are fully versed and trained in delivering on a brand experience that creates the desired perception, your customers will experience the consistency in your brand and if they like it they will come back for more.
What is your Brand DNA?
It is your unique (Dimensional Nucleic Assets™) or the distinctive attributes that comprise your distinctive value proposition and competitive offering through the experience you promise to deliver. Take the time to define your brand and action it. Ask the following questions…
- What core values will guide our employees’ behaviors and business practices?
- What unique style attributes result in a distinctive personality for our brand?
- What are the overarching standards across our brand scorecard: employees, customers, processes and financial; that create a level of performance excellence in reinforcing the desired brand experience and which guide the development of standards by activity?
- What are the unique differentiators that set our brand apart (e.g., points of difference, destinations, talent, experience, key assets, unique processes and/or service delivery, etc.)
- What is our brand’s mantra that creates excitement and inspiration for our employees to embrace the essence of what we stand for as a brand?
- What is our brand’s promise (strategic value proposition) to our employees and customers – the emotional and functional benefits of the brand experience we commit to deliver?
- What overall perception do we want to own and reinforce through the brand experience in the minds of our target audience?
Defining your brand creates a solid framework that clearly and succinctly establishes the overall essence of what you stand for and serves to guide positive behaviors, actions and business practices that support your business for long-term sustainability.
Feel free to check out Brand Ascension’s book ‘Brand DNA: Uncover Your Organization’s Genetic Code for Competitive Advantage’ and our flexible delivery options for defining your unique Brand DNA at www.BrandAscension.com.
