Branding is a popular topic in the marketing arena and for
good reason. A brand can make or break a business. To make matters more
complicated, most small businesses don’t even really understand the concept of
branding. They’ve heard the lingo, and they know it’s important, but the
nuances of branding strategy are often still a distant consideration.
A Branding Lesson
What is branding anyway? Is it a logo or a set of specific
colors? Maybe it’s a tagline or a slogan? Perhaps it is all of that combined?
Actually, no. Branding is nothing that a company or
individual specifically does or presents to the public. This is where it gets tricky.
Now go back and read that again. Yes, that’s right. The audience
is in control of your brand. Does that mean you should pack it up and stop
fighting the good fight? Absolutely not! The more you can implement and
showcase in terms of what you want your audience to believe about you, the
better. This investment in time and
resources tells a story to your clients or customers about what you want your
business to be.
Corporate Branding
Corporate branding is very conceptual. Most companies take a
concept or an idea – a company vision – and build their branding around it.
Once a business has an idea about their brand, they can then mold each and
every touchpoint to reflect that brand image. Touchpoints happen whenever an
individual comes into contact with your company – whether that be at the
receptionist desk, through the mail, reading a magazine, or talking to an
employee. Taking the time to really incorporate a corporate brand into all of
the available touchpoints helps to ensure a company is consistent with their
messaging.
Personal Branding
A fairly new idea on the branding horizon is the notion of
personal branding. How is a personal brand different from a corporate one? The
answer is simple. A personal brand is all about people. It’s about you! How do
you come off in a room full of people? What impression do you give your
co-workers, employees, clients, or while networking? These different
perceptions are all facets of your personal brand.
This means that spending time developing a brand image for
yourself is just as important as developing a brand for your business. What impression
are you trying to make in person and online when it comes to your work? How can
you implement those ideas into what you do as a career?
Of course, personal and corporate branding do not need to be
mutually exclusive. The best of both worlds involves taken your personal
branding and seamlessly incorporating that into the brand for your business.
One type of branding is not more powerful than another. The sweet spot is the
intersection where both personal and corporate meet and blend together.
Love the idea of branding but having a difficult time figuring
out where to start or how to combine your personal brand into what your
business is already doing? Our team loves helping businesses create a personal narrative and brand so that they can continue to follow their purpose and
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Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a "#BeAwesome" Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.
Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.
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