Five simple checks to see if your brand needs attention.
A couple of months ago a friend dropped by our office, and the first words out of his mouth were “I know, I know…don’t say it!”
We developed his company’s brand identity about 2 years ago and at the time, all he wanted was a logo. To him, that was all brand strategy was - a logo. We wanted to develop a detailed strategy for his brand and give the company a north star, but he pointedly refused. He claimed to have all the clarity he needed. Since he was a friend, we agreed to give him a simple logo, and nothing else. The only such project we have ever done.
Now, having come back to us two years later, with a simple request… “Do what you do best”, we happily agreed. We tried very hard not to say “I told you so”.
It’s easy to take your brand for granted. For the most part, people believe an attractive logo is the be-all and end-all of “branding”. Business owners are often only looking for a ‘slap on logo’ to put on their website and visiting cards, and channel all their energy into driving sales. This is understandable…sales keep the company afloat. But brand strategy comes into play when companies want to start thriving, rather than just surviving. And this is where business owners struggle. They struggle to identify the current (and often confused) state of their brand, define a desired future state, and create a detailed strategic plan to achieve their goals.
Our friend realised that his brand (or lack thereof) was in trouble after spending significant time, effort, and investment into trying to run his company without a clear direction. In reality, there are a lot of companies who are in the same situation; and this got us thinking. Can we figure out a quick and easy exercise that can help business owners understand the health of their brand? And we did just that. Here are 5 easy steps that give you an overview of where your brand stands.
Step 1: YOU
What is your Why? Without spending too much time thinking about it, and in under 20 words, can you describe your company’s purpose of existence? What is the reason your company exists beyond making money? If it comes easy to you, write it down. If all you have is a vague notion, write that down as well.
Step 2: EMPLOYEES
Ask a few of your employees to individually write down their views on the purpose of the company’s existence, without mulling over it too much. We are looking for instinctive responses here. The responses should be limited to 20 - 30 words.
Step 3: FRIENDS
Give your friend(s) 30 seconds to go over your company’s website (or any other primary touchpoint) and ask them to write down their thoughts on what your company does. Once again, we are looking for instinctive responses.
Step 4: EVALUATE
Once you have collected all these responses, lay them out in front of you and go over them in detail and ask yourself the following questions.
Do you, the founder, have a clear vision of your company’s purpose of existence?
Do your employees share your vision?
After having gone through your website, did your friends clearly articulate your company’s Why?
This step gives you a high-level understanding of how your brand is seen in your mind, the minds of the people who work for you, as well as in minds of people who have had limited interaction with your brand.
If you as the founder have a clear vision of your company’s why, you are off to a good start.
If your employees share your vision, you have done a good job of ensuring everyone is working towards the common goal.
And if people with limited interaction with your brand were able to articulate what your brand stands for, you have got your basics covered.
Step 5: LOOK AHEAD
As much as you would like to believe it, your brand is not what you say it is. Your brand is that initial gut reaction that people have when they think about it. It’s the sum of all the touch points that people have had with your brand. You cannot control your brand, but you can certainly do your best to influence it.
If you find that and those around you share your vision, you have gotten off to a good start. It now comes down to developing a strategy that can help your brand grow in size, reach, and strength, while maintaining and nurturing the trust you have developed with your customers.
On the other hand, if you find a lack of clarity in your brand’s why, you don’t have a clearly defined brand strategy. And that should be your immediate area of focus.
To help you get started, ask yourself three simple questions:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why does it matter?
If you can find authentic answers that you feel are true to your company, you are on your way to building an effective brand.
A lot of entrepreneurs and quite a few larger companies face this struggle along their journey. You are not alone in this struggle, and I say it is a worthy struggle. Finding your why will unlock the true potential of your brand. And this is exactly what we have now done for our friend.