Your brand is a living, breathing entity. It has a personality, a unique way of doing things and a consistent way of expressing itself. It always looks a certain way and it should be instantly recognisable wherever people meet it.

A strong brand makes your business memorable and attractive to customers and employees alike It underpins your marketing in every channel, helping you stand out in a world full of competitors and distractions. 

Joined up thinking from the inside-out

It starts with building a clear brand strategy that finds the golden thread that runs through everything your brand is and does. This comes from the inside out. Much as your competitors are relevant and need analysis, it’s important to be clear about the unique who, what and why of your business. This can only come from inside your organisation, from your founder, senior people and the wider team. And it must be true – based on reality not what you’d like to be or what you think is cool.

Clarity, consistency and truth

In a world where people’s attention spans are shrinking and distractions growing, it’s important your brand is clear, consistent and true. That means telling a simple, compelling story that builds consistently over time to reinforce your purpose or mission, vision and values. All of which helps your target audiences understand what you’re here for and grow their trust over time.

Build relationships through a purpose that resonates

Without customers, your brand is lost in the woods. Your golden thread gives customers something to get hold of and follow. A powerful brand purpose helps people understand what you stand for and, it resonates with them, they will want to get involved, buying your product or service.

Stand in/stand out

It’s vital your brand stands in in the world of your competitors. But you also need to identify what makes you stand out. What makes your brand unique? What do you offer that others don’t or can’t?

Brand as promise

There will be brands you’ve known and loved for years, brands you have a soft spot for and will always choose. Why is that? It almost certainly comes down to the fact they are dependable and consistent, not only in the product or service they offer but in the halo of good feeling they deliver – that’s all wrapped up in their promise to you as a customer.

Purpose as North Star

We all rely on our favourite brands to be consistent in the way they look, behave and deliver. Things may change subtly over the years – an update of the logo, typeface or colours, for example. But we don’t expect sudden crazy leaps like changing the brand name (Marathon to Snickers, Brecon Beacons to Bannau Brycheiniog [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65310952] or changing the product (‘New Coke’). Customers tend to react poorly and often brands face a backlash when they change things.

That doesn’t mean things can’t change and grow – it’s vital your brand evolves over time. But it’s best to tread carefully and make sure whatever changes you make are true to your brand and its promise.

It helps to think of your brand purpose as your North Star, fixed and reliable. Your vision (where you’re going) can evolve as you achieve milestones and your mission (how you’ll get there) will change to achieve your vision as it develops.

What’s next for your brand?

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking about creating or evolving your brand. Where do you start? If it’s an existing brand, it’s time for a brand audit to look at things from the inside out and make sure your purpose, vision, mission and values are fit for the job in hand. What has changed in the world that might affect your brand? How have your competitors changed? Is your golden thread still strong and clear? 

If you’re creating a new brand, you need to start at the beginning and develop all these elements. Then you need to weave in the golden thread that will help you tell your brand story clearly, consistently and truthfully from the moment you launch.

Get out of your own way

Doing this on your own and for yourself is difficult. It’s hard to see your brand clearly. Subjectivity can lead you down a lot of dead ends. One way around this is to bring in an objective point of view, someone to ask the right questions, challenge your assumptions and show you your brand in a new light.

Find out more about clients I’ve helped discover their golden thread to build strong brands here >>