Your brand can make magic, if you believe.

Brand is the differentiator in the marketplace of one product or service over another. It begins with the design, name and colors, but extends as far as multimedia, the way customer service interacts with patrons and the marketing messages you use.

Your relationship with the marketplace and your internal team accompanied by the understanding of how your product or service is utilized creates the core of your brand. In a perfect world, the perception of your brand will ingratiate itself with the consumer because it aligns with their beliefs and concerns.

Take, for example, Disney. Their core purpose is to create happiness. Reinforcement and clear communication through their well developed internal “Disney Institute” create an intentional culture where every decision is rooted in that belief. Patrons feel this as the “Magic of Disney” is brought to life across channels, touchpoints and experiences.

Developing a concept, planning for and managing execution doesn’t just happen. The act of creating a brand establishes the fundamental principles, aligns stakeholders and points an organization in a single, unified direction.

Each step in the process is aimed at creating elements that evoke feelings and actions from your consumer that align with your mission and purpose.

Brand strategy

Starting with the long-term goals of your business and defining your purpose, the brand strategy is developed by defining the methods your brand will need to utilize to attract and retain customers and talent alike. Outline your objectives, they could be to establish your services within a specific demographic or they could be to fundamentally change the way in which a consumer utilizes a specific product. The goals of your organization should be entirely unique to you, just like your brand will be.

The branding is then crafted with these objectives at the center. Every step in the executional phase examines the long-term goals and applies a clear articulation, both visually and verbally.

Brand identity

Everything your company creates. Meant to engage your target audience and move you toward your vision and purpose. Not only the traditional brand elements, but the way in which your company and its people interact with the public.

Let’s look at Disney again. While you can easily recognize the Disney Castle or its carefree calligraphic typography. It’s only the tip of the iceberg in relation to the way their brand identity is brought to life and managed.

In an effort to create true happiness Disney has gone as far as to curate specific smells within their parks, the popcorn smell on Main Street or the musty smell of the haunted mansion, every sense is being engaged when you interact with the Disney brand identity. Creating memories that endure, year after year.

While most brands can’t implement experiences of that magnitude, it demonstrates how every interaction with your brand identity can affect your customers and should be implemented intentionally. Brand identity is important at every scale.

Brand positioning

Your business and brand will have a reputation if you intend to make a real impact in your marketplace. Planning the position of your business will help you take control of your reputation and measure brand equity as you gain market share. Your brand positioning plan will aid in determining how well you’ve differentiated yourself from competition, the value you offer and help to justify your pricing model. This is all generated by the perception of your brand in the market and by your customers.

Your brand position plan is meant to codify your product or service as the go-to option within a set of choices.

Brand awareness

Brand awareness builds trust. In a time when peer reviews and deep research around product and service offerings is only a few clicks away, putting a “face” to your brand is critical. Awareness efforts create personality, authenticity and the ability to tell your story. Much like we create trust with our friends and family, your brand should strive to create a sincere relationship with the market and its customers.

Awareness begets association. Over time and with concerted brand efforts your product or service will become synonymous with actions and efforts. Brand association builds equity, every positive experience, and similarly every negative, changes the amount of brand equity you’ve built.

Brand consistency

Brand consistency is the ongoing management, across channels, of the way that your brand is presented. Creating a process around brand image, messaging and decision making upfront will help to build consistency from the ground up.

It pays dividends. A consistent presentation of brand has been seen to increase revenue by 33% (Marq, 2019) and increase your brand’s visibility 3.5 times (Demand Metric). As you reinforce the values, mission and vision of your business the customers that advocate for your product or service to their network can reliably articulate what you stand for and the value you add.

The takeaway.

Branding, when approached methodically and with structure, is a rewarding investment that will pay dividends — guiding your team to success and fulfillment, build market awareness, drive loyalty and support growth.