Everyone has their own definition of branding. Some believe it’s your logo (it’s not). Others think it’s your brand identity (it’s not). Yet other think it’s your products or services (it’s not).
The best definition for branding I’ve come across is from the brand GURU himself, Marty Neumeier. In his book The Brand Gap, Marty says:
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or company.”
Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap
Since a brand is a person’s gut feeling about you and your business, how do influence their gut feeling? Three things: First, know what you stand for. Clearly define it. Then communicate it to your audience. Second, know who your audience is so you know how and where to communicate with them. Finally, be consistent – both in what you stand for and in communicating with your audience.
Let’s look at some other quotes about branding from other brand experts.
“People relate to people, and if your brand feels like people, they’ll relate to you, too.”
Laura Busche, author of Leaning Brand
“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.”
David Brier, brand identity expert and author of Brand Intervention
“Branding is the art of aligning what you want people to think about your company with what people actually do think about your company. And vice-versa.”
Jay Baer, marketing expert & best selling author
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.”
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon
Another quote from Marty Neumeier
“Branding is a company’s effort to build lasting value by delighting customers.”
Marty Neumeier, author of Zag: The #1 Strategy of High Performance Brands
It costs five times (5x) more time and money to attract new customers and clients than it does to retain your existing ones. Yet most companies focus much more of their resources on methods to get new customers rather than keeping those they already have. Consider that your existing customers are ten to twelve TIMES (10x-12x) more likely to buy from you a than new prospects. Create brand loyalty by delighting your existing customers and clients to rapidly increase revenue.
“Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touchpoints.”
Jonah Sachs, author Winning the Story Wars
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
Seth Godin, best selling author and speaker
“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is.”
Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit
Yet another quote from Marty Neumeier
“A brand is not owned by the company, but by the customers who draw meaning from it (the company). Your brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what they say it is.”
Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Flip
It’s short-sighted to think you control your brand. You don’t. Every person who hears about and interacts with your brand will create their own story about who you are, what you stand for and how you can help them. They decide, not you. But what you can do is influence their perception of your brand. You can influence the story they create about you. In the best scenario you both create your brand’s story together. Utilize that.
“If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”
Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks
“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.”
David Brier, author Brand Intervention
“Brand is the sum total of how someone perceives a particular organisation.
Ashley Friedlein, co-founder & CEO of Guild
Branding is about shaping that perception.”
Still another quote from Marty Neumeier
“When enough individuals arrive at the same gut feeling, a company can be said to have a brand.”
Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap
The goal for your brand is to unify your offerings with the needs, wants and expectations of your customers and clients. When your messaging is so clear that your audience knows they’ve found the right solution for them, you have a brand. It’s your job to find the gaps between what you believe you offer and what your potential customers want – and bridge it.
“No one will follow you if you don’t know where you are going.”
Jack Trout, owner of Trout & Partners, author of Positioning & Differentiate or Die
“Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms.”
Simon Mainwaring, author of We First & Lead with We
“Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.”
Steve Forbes, Editor in Chief of Forbes Magazine
A final quote from Marty Neumeier…
“… the goal of branding is simple: To delight customers so that more people buy more things for more years at a higher price.”
Marty Neumeier, author of Zag: The #1 Strategy of High Performance Brands
Sales happen when your customers and clients know, like and trust you. Branding helps you achieve all three. With proper brand strategy your customers will know who you are and what you stand for. They’ll choose you not just because they like your product or service, but because they align with what you stand for and why you’re in business. And they’ll trust you because they’ll see and connect with the people behind the brand.
What’s next?
Uncover deeper clarity in your business. Know more about your customers. Find where you’re not connecting with them. Then create a plan to bridge the gaps. I can help you through my Brand Strategy Workshop. Schedule a 20-minute handshake session so we can see if we’re a good fit for each other.
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