Your brand is your business’ reputation

Brands are defined by customers.
Branding is the promise you make to your customers.
​Make them the centrepiece of everything you do.
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What do people say, think, and feel about your business?
​The answers you get, the instant reaction someone has when your business is mentioned, that is your brand.

All our daily decisions are driven by branding, from what products to use, to what services to avail of and to what organisations to get involved with. Everything from clothes and soaps to cities and charities, it’s all branded.

The key to effective branding is that you must be what your brand says you are. You have to define what your business is about. ​

A good example of a business who has managed to build consumer trust and emotional attachment is Lego. They’re not just building blocks for kids. They represent childhood imagination and creativity.

An important part of branding is your visual identity. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Branding is the strategy you put in place to form the impression people get about your business.

Approach your communication by focusing on how you want your target audience to feel. Instead of telling them about features and benefits, you want to make an emotional connection with them.

If you do it right they will start to care.

​That's it for the introduction to my four chapters on branding. Here's a link to the four chapters. It's a quick and easy read that I hope you will find useful. 

Chapter 1 Research    
You want to paint a clear picture of the exact position your brand intends to occupy in the mind of your target audience. 
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• Positioning: Understand your market
• Find a gap in the market
​• Get to know your audience
• Create a buyer's persona
• Brand personality​​
• The brand pyramid
• ​Value proposition​ ​

Go to Chapter 1: Research

Chapter 2 Strategy       
A brand is the perceived image of the product or service you sell. Branding is the strategy to create that image.
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• ​Customer journey    
• Tone of voice
• Tell a Story
​• Name your business

Go to Chapter 2: Strategy

Chapter 3 Design    
Customers look for ways to find what is relevant to them and ignore the rest.
Let’s create a brand that capture their attention.
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• The creative brief     
• My design principles for your brand identity   
• Brand guidelines (They should inspire its user to create greatness) 

Go to chapter 3: Design

Chapter 4 Implementation     
The quickest way to devalue your brand is to act in ways that are counter to your values.
Brand equity is built over a long time but can be destroyed in an instant.
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• Get your team involved
• Take it to the public
• Measure your brand success    

Go to chapter 4: Implementation