Live It!
The Secret of being a brand leader
By: Amy Hoppenrath

After reading about a new restaurant with great service and a five-star menu, I eagerly made reservations. “A fabulous meal - where someone waited on me - would be a perfect end to the week,” I thought. Too bad the restaurant didn’t live up to its advertising. After a one-hour wait and cold food, I said, “Check, please.” I most likely won’t go back.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, second chances are rare. When weighing the possibility of another disappointing meal against one at a favorite restaurant, patrons will choose an establishment that lives up to its promise.

Brand Basics
That is the difference between good and bad brands. Good brands live up to, and exceed, their promises. Bad brands don’t.

Restaurants aside, branding is the same in any business. But say the word “brand” and many business owners shrink. Branding is not a complicated concept, really; it’s just that so much has been written about the topic we assume volume equals difficulty. It doesn’t.

A brand simply is the external demonstration of your organization’s core purpose. For the restaurant above, branding is prompt delivery of the warm, gourmet meal I expected.

When you understand the definition, the rest is easy to follow. Branding has two basic elements: the promise and the experience. A brand promise is the company’s mission or core purpose. Promises are communicated through advertising, marketing collateral, signage, web sites, and publicity Ð even word of mouth.

A brand experience occurs anytime a customer or prospect comes in contact with the company. Contact could include anything: a point-of-purchase sign, a delivery driver, a receptionist, the packaging Ð even the invoice. But the outcome is always the same: emotion. In the restaurant example, a good meal equals a satisfying, memorable evening. Bottom line, if the experience exceeds expectations on an ongoing basis, you have a great brand.

Brand leaders do both: They make the promise and deliver on it. That’s why “living the brand” is a function of the entire company Ð not just the marketing department. All employees Ð from the receptionist to the billing department Ð must be passionate brand advocates.

Five-Step Branding Process
Now that you know what successful branding takes, let’s explore the five steps that will get you there:

Step 1: Define your brand promise.
What is the mission or core purpose of your organization?
What does your organization do better than anyone else? What makes it unique?

Step 2: Audit your marketing materials.
Next, review the types of communication below while asking yourself: How well do we communicate our brand to our target audiences? What could we do differently to improve that communication?

1. Identity materials (logo, stationery, business cards, and signage)
2. Marketing collateral (brochures, newsletters, and print ads)
3. E-marketing efforts (web site and electronic communication)
4. Publicity (news releases and editorial coverage)
5. Employee communication (newsletters, intranet site, and recruiting pieces)

Step 3: Identify target audiences.
This is a simple step. Jot down the groups of people your communications target. Prospects? Donors? Customers? Stockholders? Referral sources? Recruits? List them all; and don’t forget your employees.

Step 4: Analyze target audiences.
For each group identified in Step 3, ask the following:

1. How does this group define the brand?
2. What communications/activities best convey the brand promise to them?
3. How does the brand promise compare to the brand expectations for this group?
4. What does my organization need to do to fill the gap, if there is one?

Step 5: Create an action plan.
The action plan is the most important part of any branding program. Without it, the brand risks death by bookshelf. With it, results come faster. First-time customers return. Frequent customers become loyal advocates.

For that to happen, the brand must be integrated into your business plan. To begin, assign responsibilities and due dates, and adopt a process to keep all parties accountable. Create a brand matrix with the following column headers: Projects, Assigned To, Due, and Notes. Fill it in and get started. When done right, everything from customer service and employee training to recruiting will reflect the brand. And, you will be well on your way to living your brand and being a leader.

Amy is Vice President/Brand Group Director at Trozzolo Communications Group, where clients get it all - advertising, public relations and custom publishing - together. Contact her at 816-842-8111.