Your brand is so much more than just your website or logo. It’s more than design. It’s more than the colors and typefaces you choose to represent your company. Your brand is your voice in the marketplace; it’s how you tell your story to the world. Creating a valuable brand depends on your ability to know what you stand for, and your effectiveness in communicating those values to others.

Most entrepreneurs enter the business world with an idea – not a brand. This idea may be so deeply personal that it’s difficult to share, and hard for other people to really understand. That’s why you need brand messaging. Your brand is your story and if you don’t tell it, it will never be told. To succeed, it must be planted in the hearts and minds (especially hearts) of your prospects and customers.

Perhaps no other company can boast of the emotional connection with customers created by Apple. Their marketing rarely focuses on what a product actually does. Instead, the company carefully instills an impression of how owning an Apple product will make you feel. All of their branding efforts reinforce this message. Whether you’re using one of their devices, visiting an Apple store, or purchasing online, there is a consistency to the experience. Every product, venue, and employee supports the brand image Apple strives to maintain.

The most successful brands own a word in the mind of the customer. For Nordstrom, that word has to be “service”. Employees personally notify their regular shoppers of special events and sales, and send handwritten thank-you notes to new customers. They’re taught that nothing matters more than pleasing the customer, and their efforts to do so are legendary. Read more

Your brand is so much more than just a logo, an advertisement, or a website. It’s the promise you’ve made to your customers – the tangible benefit that makes your product or service desirable and unique. What sets your business apart in a crowded marketplace? Does your culture reflect that differentiation? If there’s a disconnect between your internal operations and your messaging, employees will have little reason to believe in – or advocate for – your brand.

Here are four steps you can take to ensure that your company’s culture is aligned with your brand promise: Read more

Your brand is so much more than just what your customers see on a label. It conveys those qualities that really distinguish you from your competition – your unique values and characteristics. While it’s easy to focus primarily on advertising, promotions, and customer relations when developing your brand, you’re missing out if you ignore the impact of corporate culture on the branding process.

The relationship between your brand and your culture can make or break your business. Your company’s culture includes its values, vision, norms, beliefs, and habits. Developing a corporate culture that supports brand growth should be a top priority, since a robust culture will strengthen your brand – just as a weak culture will hinder it.

Craft a culture that supports your brand by hiring and training the right employees. Seek out people who are passionate about your vision and whose goals align with your brand. Like-minded employees who respect and share your ideals will adapt more fully to your company culture. Read more