Recently I read an article where the author said "Most people don't need to "trust" the brand to buy..." and "I refuse to believe that people do business with a brand."
After my shock wore off, there were several things that I found very interesting.
The first thing was that a few comments agreed with her (which I found even more shocking), and the second thing was that no one shared the article, at least not from the articles page that I could see. The article was written in 2009, was posted on the very popular real estate site, Inman News, and was written by Teresa Boardman. Teresa is a favorite at Inman News where she writes regularly. There is a link to this particular article at the end of my post.
The first thing was that a few comments agreed with her (which I found even more shocking), and the second thing was that no one shared the article, at least not from the articles page that I could see. The article was written in 2009, was posted on the very popular real estate site, Inman News, and was written by Teresa Boardman. Teresa is a favorite at Inman News where she writes regularly. There is a link to this particular article at the end of my post.
Branding Happens! It happens to the big AND the small. It's happening to Teresa's readers as she writes for Inman News. It happens when you send out a mailing, write a blog post, drive down the street... What you are wearing, saying, doing, posting....it's all your brand. Teresa also said, "Brands are impersonal..."
That is another statement I disagree with.
As an example, do any of these brands illicit an emotion? If they do, then you will agree with me that Brands are NOT impersonal.
If I asked you right now to go to lunch you would imagine the logo or inside of your favorite restaurant, like my favorite, Olive Garden, without even thinking. Also, if you were handed a bag of something in a Walmart grocery bag you would immediately, unintentionally, think of an image of the store and then think "Do I need anything from Walmart?" You did, didn't you? However brief, it was there. How about if I ask you who your Insurance Agent is. Did you think of him/her face? Name? Business card? The bill? The logo? What did you think of?
My father has over 3,100 friends on his Facebook page. I know... crazy right? Best part is... he knows everyone one of them face to face, life story, and where he met them. He's 70 years old and more popular than the average person. He was in the Army and has been all over the world. He's very well respected and loved by everyone who meets him. I bet if I put his name in this post someone reading it would know him. I'm very proud of my father. He is an amazing man.
So, how does he follow what's going on with all of his friends on Facebook? Well, let's just say if I change my profile picture he may miss my post that day unless I changed it to another picture of me. I'm branded in my father's mind! His face is branded in the minds of his family and friends.
The same thing applies to any businesses he may be following. When/if they change their profile photo to something different, say for the holidays, he may miss their post. The holiday change is cute, but unless you include your branded image in that small profile pic, your fans may miss your message that day.
I've gotten a little ahead of myself... Let's step back and answer the question a lot of people are talking about. What is branding? Different people would answer that question in different, yet similar ways.
If you are branding correctly your clients will remember you, your name, your brand, your business name, your website, your image on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and all social media, in one way or another. They will find you again. Don't waste your time thinking that it's "cheaper to find new clients than it is to keep past clients or build brand loyalty..." That is not true! Remaking yourself, finding new clients, missing opportunities, like referrals, because you can't be found is much more costly.
It's much cheaper not have to keep recreating yourself. If you create a new piece of marketing material and you have a brand it's a very simple process and much faster, both mean less money spent.
If you are in front of your clients at least 2-3 times a week and you can bring value to them, they will think of you when their friends are asking or when they need you. Yes, most people only need a Realtor every 10-15 years, but they need advise from Realtors who can provide valuable market information, or recommend a Realtor many times a year.....
That is another statement I disagree with.
As an example, do any of these brands illicit an emotion? If they do, then you will agree with me that Brands are NOT impersonal.
Not only did some, or all of these, illicit an emotion, I bet you could name most, if not all, of these brands without even seeing the name of the company.
If I asked you right now to go to lunch you would imagine the logo or inside of your favorite restaurant, like my favorite, Olive Garden, without even thinking. Also, if you were handed a bag of something in a Walmart grocery bag you would immediately, unintentionally, think of an image of the store and then think "Do I need anything from Walmart?" You did, didn't you? However brief, it was there. How about if I ask you who your Insurance Agent is. Did you think of him/her face? Name? Business card? The bill? The logo? What did you think of? 
My father has over 3,100 friends on his Facebook page. I know... crazy right? Best part is... he knows everyone one of them face to face, life story, and where he met them. He's 70 years old and more popular than the average person. He was in the Army and has been all over the world. He's very well respected and loved by everyone who meets him. I bet if I put his name in this post someone reading it would know him. I'm very proud of my father. He is an amazing man.
So, how does he follow what's going on with all of his friends on Facebook? Well, let's just say if I change my profile picture he may miss my post that day unless I changed it to another picture of me. I'm branded in my father's mind! His face is branded in the minds of his family and friends.
The same thing applies to any businesses he may be following. When/if they change their profile photo to something different, say for the holidays, he may miss their post. The holiday change is cute, but unless you include your branded image in that small profile pic, your fans may miss your message that day.
I've gotten a little ahead of myself... Let's step back and answer the question a lot of people are talking about. What is branding? Different people would answer that question in different, yet similar ways.
I asked several of my friends this question and here are some of their answers:
So, what's the difference between personal brand and business brand? Not much. Basically the title, what you are called, if it's you or a group...even then there is a group behind all famous people right? You say, "I work for Oprah" instead of, "I am Oprah."
If you create a memorable and effective brand, either on a personal and/or business level, and you make sure all of your marketing online and offline have that brand, people will start coming to you and you won't have to keep going to them!
It's much cheaper not have to keep recreating yourself. If you create a new piece of marketing material and you have a brand it's a very simple process and much faster, both mean less money spent.
If you are in front of your clients at least 2-3 times a week and you can bring value to them, they will think of you when their friends are asking or when they need you. Yes, most people only need a Realtor every 10-15 years, but they need advise from Realtors who can provide valuable market information, or recommend a Realtor many times a year.....
Just for kicks, here are two cool brands working together. The Monkees and Kelloggs.
Just have to say 'Yay' and 'I'm Sorry' -
ReplyDeleteYay - because the post is amazing. The formatting is dynamic, drawing attention to every quote and point. It makes all of us (yup, love my section) jump out at your readers. Very, very nicely done.
I'm Sorry - because, after viewing the initial drafts, I forgot to check back for the final - mahvelous - post.
Thank you - again - for sharing my words.