Do You Have a Brand?

Logo? Nope.

Product? Nope.

Stationery? Nah.

Signage? Sorry.

None of the above is a brand.

So what the heck is a brand? And do you even have one? How do you even start the brand-building process?

Let’s imagine walking into a party to find out

How would people you’re meeting for the first time feel about you? What feeling would you leave them with? How would they describe your personality?

You see, personality plays a big part in your ‘brand’. Why is that?

First, we’ll need to define *what* a brand is.

What is a brand?

Let’s ask Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap.
(I don’t know Marty, but I’m enjoying his book. If you click the link to purchase the book, Amazon gives me a commission.)

Marty states, “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization.”

A person’s gut feeling.

These feelings are often based on personality. Notice how important that is. It’s our personalities that elicit a gut reaction from people. Our personalities permeate everything we do. Personality becomes the basis for every interaction we have with our audience.

Why is your personality so important?

It’s important because once you decide what you’re going to do for your audience, your personality sets you apart from everyone else. It’s what makes you different.

Suppose you have an online magazine; what makes it different from other magazines? Why should I read articles on your site? Is there something about the personality of your content I can’t find anyplace else?

This is why people remain loyal to a particular brand.

It has nothing to do with price. Or the content itself (given that it’s good.)

Instead, it concerns that people can’t go anywhere else to find it. They can’t get it somewhere else because it’s delivered in a way unique to your company’s personality.

You become the only source for that particular feeling. But it’s not just a generalized feeling. It’s focused on a particular type of person.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

If I mention Harley Davidson, I’m betting there’s a very particular image of the people who ride these motorcycles in your mind. I’m also betting you’ve got a very particular gut reaction to these people as well.

That is a brand.

And people decide what your brand is.

You may have a particular idea of what you’d like your brand to be. But it’s only a brand once enough people have the same gut feeling about your company. Don’t worry; you can help influence this reaction.

How do you influence this reaction?

You do this by emphasizing particular personality traits. But they should be traits that exist naturally. Be yourself.

Speak to your biggest fans. Find out how they describe you. Then highlight those traits. Build your platform around those things people are connecting with. That’s when you just might become the life of the party. And know if you have a brand.

Summary:

• Your brand is determined by the gut reaction of your audience
• You can influence this reaction by emphasizing personality traits
• Ask your fans for input Be yourself

Next step:

Ask some fans how they would describe you or your company. If you don’t have fans yet, ask your closest friends. There’s a reason they’re your friends.