What is a Brand & Why Do I Need One?

Branding. If you are building a business or organization then no doubt you have heard this buzz word. Entrepreneurs and business coaches throw around the phrase “build your brand” a lot – but you might not be entirely sure what it means or why it is so crucial. If you fall into this not-so-sure category then keep reading because today I’m going to break down exactly what a brand is and the reasoning behind why you absolutely need one.

What is a Brand?

Your brand is all of the emotions and opinions that people associate with you when they think about you or experience you. Your brand is your message, your persona, your image and your platform. It’s what you stand for, what you project, what you say, do, wear – it’s what makes you “YOU” to those who interact with you on a business and personal level.

Mostly we associate the term “brand” with major companies like Nabisco or Nike, but small businesses, organizations, locations and even individual people can build brands for themselves, too. When a person, place or organization builds a brand they focus on adjectives. That’s because a brand is essentially established by the words and phrases people use to describe it. What people say about you = your brand.

Original image via generator-meme.com

For example, when I think of an individual person with an amazingly strong brand, I think of Oprah. If you were to survey a large group of people and ask them to describe her, you would find that most of the words used would be the same. It doesn’t matter if a person has a positive or negative opinion of Oprah, the key here is consistency. People who have been exposed to Oprah’s brand will say relatively the same things about her because she has built such a solid persona and sent a consistent message. 

Why Should I Build a Brand?

Simple answer: because you want to get paid.

In today's world, we have so many choices for who we can do business with. The truth is, people want to do business with someone they know, someone they like and also can trust. The key to success in a modern business setting is to establish a "relationship" with your customer. Your customer wants to know what you stand for and be able to rely on your product or service. 

Building a brand that sends a consistent message to your audience is exactly how you establish this relationship. Once potential customers get to know you and begin to like what you have to offer, they will then develop the level of trust it takes to get a person to hand over that hard earned cash.

Keep in mind that your potential customers owe you nothing. It doesn’t matter how awesome your product or service is, if you are sending a message that is inconsistent and confusing, then your target market is going to look elsewhere. So do yourself and your audience a favor and begin building an image and sending a message that draws people to you and makes them want to stick around for the long haul.

Now it's YOUR TURN to be heard...

COMMENT BELOW! Tell me:

What is your strategy for building a strong brand?

What companies do you LOVE doing business with? What is it about THEIR brand that keeps you coming back for more?

Boss Babe. Super Mom. 

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