A dozen of us gathered on Zoom a couple of days ago for an Advisory Board meeting.
It’s a very interesting position for me because the organization has nothing to do with fitness.
I was asked to serve on the Board because of my experience as a turn-around specialist in a variety of small businesses.
In the course of our deliberations, the issue of branding came up.
No big surprise. Turning around a small business almost always comes back to some form of marketing.
What never fails to surprise me is how most small business owners do not understand branding. I knew I was about to enter into some lively dialogue. 🙂
So many people look at the Fortune 500 companies and try to emulate how they have created brand recognition and customer loyalty.
Wow, unless you are prepared to spend a massive fortune, that is not the route to follow.
Inevitably, the small business owner thinks this is the route to go. Not so!
Your brand is what people say your brand is, when you’re not around.
You cannot control what they say, but you can influence what they say. This takes consistent messaging over time.
When you lead with values, a well-crafted Unique Value Proposition and a very clear idea of what your ideal client avatar is, and stop trying to be everything for everyone, you are well on your way to influencing your brand.
Most of the Board Members wanted to talk about logo design, corporate colors, and images. These are important, but certainly not the starting point.
Start with messaging that shares your values, a message that resonates with your ideal customers, and you are on your way.
Stay tuned as I have some web classes coming up that will address this very thing.
Or simply reach out to me today.
