"Brand" is one of those words that has been used so much, it tends to lose its meaning after time. We think of a brand as a company name, logo or image--or a combination of all three, but isn't there something more to it? Isn't a brand more powerful than that?
In fact, a BRAND is who or what you are. An individual can have a brand: One person may be business savvy and results-oriented; another may be free-spirited and off-the-cuff when it comes to personal and professional dealings.
Trace Cohen, CMO of Brand-Yourself.com, expounds on the idea of a personal brand. "For me, someone’s personal brand is their aura and their general feel when you first meet them," Trace says. "Everyone makes assertions and predetermined notions when you meet someone new, and this is where your personal brand comes in."
Brands are not born overnight. "It is a more long-term thing that is really instilled in someone’s thoughts over time," Trace continues. "You want to come to the forefront of someone’s mind when certain keywords are mentioned and a light will go off and they will think of you." (Read more of Trace's insights on this subject at http://blog.brand-yourself.com/2009/seo-your-personal-brand-offline/.)
Companies, of course, work hard to create a brand and solidify that image with customers. Tide Detergent brings to mind the orange box or plastic container in which the product is contained. But an eye-catching container isn't enough to make a brand stick in someone's mind. There has to be substance to the brand itself--it has to work, and work well--for someone to pick up that detergent. The people who make the product have to believe in it, and they have to carry their commitment to the product with them wherever they go.
Trace says that personal and corporate brands are intricately woven. "If you think about it, a corporate brand is just a collection of all the personal brands of the employees."
So whether your company consists of one person or 100, the individual brands profoundly impact the corporate brand that emerges to the public. Individual brands affect the name of the company, what it stands for, its logo and images and how it is presented to potential customers.
These individual brands also affect the words that are used to convey the brand message. When a company believes in itself, that is conveyed through content which is descriptive, enthusiastic and sincere. No gobbledygook allowed! No making promises you can't keep; conversely, no downplaying how great your company really is. The words convey the corporate brand and the individual brands behind it.
In upcoming blogs, I'll explore the ways that the words on your company website, newsletter, brochure and even your LinkedIn page can can make your brand that much more effective.
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