5 kick ass ways to develop your brand

Developing your brand is more than creating a logo.  It's more than creating a tagline.  Its more than creating catchy slogans for ad campaigns.  As Marty Neumeier writes in his phenomenal book ZAG a brand is "a customer's gut feeling about a product, service or company".  Whether you are trying to build your business' brand or your own, it all boils down to this - your brand has to convey authenticity and value and people have to sincerely believe it.  This means that a lot of work needs to be done to create a brand that wins the hearts and minds of the audiences that you are striving to attract and maintain the attention of.

Over the course of this year Vosica has dealt with a number of entrepreneurs, businesses  and individuals who came to us looking for help with developing their brands.  Again and again it seemed that the same issues kept coming up.  So I figured that  I would share some remedies that we prescribed for some our clients (on the house).  

1.  Begin developing an "intention work" statement.  You may ask - "what is an intention work statement?"  In real estate the three most important things are location, location, location.  In business the three most important things are relationships, relationships, relationships - and when  developing these relationships you are able to create valuable and powerful networks when people know and respect what your intentions are.  You must be clear within yourself about why you are doing what you are doing.  Are you just trying to make a quick buck or are you trying to do transformative work? When you are clear about what your intentions are with the work you are doing it becomes evident who you are and what you are about to your colleagues and your clients - therefore laying down a powerful foundation for brand building.

2.  Be able to explain in three or four sentences what makes you and/or your work not different from everyone else but radically different (another concept from ZAG).  In today's market the internet has literally allowed the world to participate in the marketplace.  So now the world is our backyard and at the touch of our fingertips we can shop in Japan, easily discuss ideas with friends in Nigeria, or hire freelancers out of India.  Different is no longer good enough.  Your different has to stand up and demand attention. You are competing against the world. . .

3.  Know the top three trends in your field of work (i.e. technology, marketing, education) that are changing the course of how things are being done.  Being able to show a commanding knowledge of the market shows people that you know what's happening and why. This alone gets people's attention and, guaranteed, will create opportunities for you.

4.  Be able to answer this question - convincingly.  If you  or your company, all of a sudden, "ceased to exist" why would this be a tragedy?  If the services you provide can easily be done by another person or company then you need to re-think your business. People will invest time and money into you when they feel that you are offering something they need and you are providing a unique service that no one else can provide.  It's your job to show them this.

5.  Know the power in being able to acknowledge and be brutally honest about your personal weaknesses.  If you don't know your weaknesses - you or your business will not grow.  Dooming you to stay in neutral and going nowhere fast.  Understanding and being real with yourself about what you don't know and where you need to improve is invaluable when developing your business.  It is the difference between a long and successful business life or a quick blip on the radar - here today, gone tomorrow.