Written by Mark Spangler
Do you see yourself as others see you?
Do you know your companies brand?
Whether your company is small or large, your brand should answer the question, “What do we want our company to be known for?” Everyone in the company should have an intimate understanding of the brand – from the receptionist to the president.
- Your brand should be one message and be communicated with one voice.
- It should be easily identified as yours, and at least one benefit of the brand should stay in the mind of your audience.
- To make your brand stamp work, you need to own a piece of real estate in the minds of your clientele.
A strong brand will differentiate your company in a crowded marketplace. There may be hundreds of companies in your area, and nearly all of them will describe themselves in similar ways: “We’ve been around for more than X amount of years,” or “Our staff works as a team, and we partner with our clients to meet business challenges.” It’s also typical that companies employ similar and overused visuals – photos of the city skyline, the office building, the logo on the lobby wall, or a conference room with employees sitting around the table with laptops. And how many times have we seen architectural columns and stock images of people? When companies use these ideas and images over and over, they are saying that they are not unique or different, and that they don’t have a unique value proposition.
Clancy and Shulman, in Marketing Myths That Are Killing Business: The Cure for Death Wish Marketing, underscore the key benefit of branding: “In a cluttered environment where buyers have little time to ponder product decisions, it is highly advantageous for a marketer to stand for something important, to be remembered for something significant. [Branding] helps a company hold current customers by giving them constant reminders of why they buy, while providing protection from competitive onslaughts.” A unique brand message differentiates you from the competition; it shows what you stand for and clearly demonstrates the value of your services, allowing you to command a premium for the unique advantage you provide.
Sometimes the words branding and marketing are used interchangeably, but they are actually two different concepts. Branding determines what services are offered, who offers them, and how they’re delivered. Marketing is the way those services are made available to the marketplace.
To identify some basic requirements for building a brand strategy, consider some important questions:
- How are we currently perceived?
- Is this an accurate perception?
- What makes our company different?
- If asked, could we articulate our brand positioning?
How are you currently perceived? If you’re not sure how the market sees you, conducting a quick online client survey is priceless. It’s cost effective and efficient, and can help lay the groundwork on which to build your brand.
Is this an accurate perception? Once you compile the results of the survey and are able to see yourself through the eyes of your clients, you can determine if the perception is accurate. If that perception fits your company and how you’d like to be seen, you can build your brand on that foundation. If it doesn’t, what can you do to clarify your brand in the minds of clients?
What makes your company different? It is important to look at yourself in the context of your market. What do your competitors offer, and is their product different or better than yours? What do you do better than your competitors? What markets are you targeting, and is your current message delivering?
Can you articulate your brand positioning? Are you able to say what your brand position is in a 30- or 60-second elevator ride? Write a brand position statement that explains who you are marketing to, what you are actually offering, why clients should want to use your services, and how your services are different from those of competitors?
The brand position statement should be two or three sentences at most. It should encompass all of your areas of practice and should be repeatable by everyone in the company. It should be an internal and external message that everyone understands.
After your brand is established, your marketing efforts should incorporate it into all available communication vehicles: logo, positioning statement or tagline, marketing materials, public relations, stationery, newsletters, brochures, individual attorney profiles, Web site, email blitz, online connections, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Once all of the layers are constructed and cohesive, your clients and potential clients will know who you are and what you stand for. It may take a while before you see the business results a brand reaps, but you will see client growth, staff longevity and more external interest in your company. Your brand will help build trust with your clientele.
The clearer you make your brand statement, the greater results you will see and the more business you will win. The award-winning Spangler Design Team helps companies discover their brand voice and recognize their unique position in the marketplace. To discuss how we may assist you and how to position your company in “A Brand New Way”, contact Mark Spangler at 952-927-5425.
