Did you have a Venti cup of Starbucks coffee this morning? For your lunch break, did you swing by the drive-thru at McDonald’s for a Big Mac Value Meal? (And, while I’m at it, what kind of car did you drive-thru in?) How many billboards did you see when you drove to work? What cell phone did you use to call your client about the new proposal as you were driving in? Were you inundated by ads when you watched the ballgame on TV last night?
Get the picture? Branding. (Actually, branding is so important it should be in all caps, so…….BRANDING!
Your brand can be the most valuable assets you have in your company. And in some cases, that value is significant. Take a pair of basic (read: blank) running shoes. How much would that pair go for at the nearest shoe store? How much do you think that pair cost to make? Now throw a pair of “Swooshes” on that same pair of shoes. While it would cost maybe a penny or two….tops…more to make that pair, how much more would that pair sell for in that same store? That difference between a blank pair of shoes, and Nike’s newest product? Branding.
Branding doesn’t just lie in the label on a piece of clothing or a corporate logo. You can brand your company simply be establishing a unique culture that helps your employees become as productive as can be, in order to deliver your product or service as effectively as possible. And your employees be-come extensions of that brand, and represent your company, much like a pair of shoes with a swoosh on it represents a pair of Nike shoes.
For a startup entrepreneur, a company can often be compared to a baby, and the process of establishing a brand for a company is similar to the process of naming the child. You’re setting the identity for which the entity will be forever known. How do you want YOUR company, your “baby”, to be per-ceived in the marketplace? Your branding strategy will determine that answer, both in the present day and for years to come.
When it came time to name and brand my company, I knew it would be one of the most significant decisions I would have to make. But I knew it had to be right. I also knew it had to be an extension of me. So I chose “Fiesta”. Why? Well, for one, I wanted to exude a vibe of happiness. What better way than to think of my brand as one big party?
(And believe it or not, the name has a personal connotation as well. “Fiesta” is also the name of one of my son’s favorite cartoons. So the name also serves as a reminder of the people who matter most in my life, and the motivation for me to work as hard as I possibly can to provide them with the best life possible.)
Remember that a company’s brand is often an extension of the culture and the people that set that brand. So make it count! And make it consistent with the strategy and objectives that drive your company. The truer you are to your brand, the more everybody involved with its growth can buy in, the harder they’ll work, the more effective the company will be, and the more profits you’ll enjoy sooner rather than later.
Who knows? Your brand could be the next Nike, Walmart or Starbucks (…..or even bigger!)
Let’s take the tips and tools to build your own Brand, to build a Better Business!
https://fiesta.leadpages.net/executive-lifestyles
