COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING


FEATURE


‘Really successful brands tend to have simplicity, clarity and an emotional connection’


USING YOUR BRAND When your narrative is clear, it should be applied with great discipline to every part of your business, including your workforce. By ensuring consistency in how you promote yourself and the service you give your customers, you will start to build the brand you want. All sorts of interesting opportunities for reinforcing your


brand then start to emerge: • The focus of your website • Ideas for social media content • The sort of PR you should be generating • Staff training • The type of customer testimonials to seek • Responding to any wrong things being said about you


Really successful brands tend to have simplicity, clarity


and an emotional connection. In this way, they are immediately understood and liked. However, a note of caution; it takes time and effort to


create a successful brand, but it can be seriously harmed in moments. Think back to Gerald Ratner, who seriously compromised


his jewellery business by mocking the quality of his own products. When BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward infamously said: “I want my life back” after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it caused, arguably, untold damage both to BP and his own reputation. Many organisations have problems with their brand


because of the gap between what they think it is and the perceptions of others.


NURTURING YOUR BRAND This is why your brand needs constant love and attention. Always ensure that what you say matches the experience of your customers. If you claim excellence but your customers think otherwise, they’ll be less likely to believe anything else you have to say. Worse still, they’ll pass on their reservations and criticisms to others – all too easy on social media. Working out your story is not just about agreeing a form


of words. It’s an essential part of your business’s entire marketing approach, helping to identify your specific place in the market and how to promote it. Here are some key questions to consider when reviewing


your brand narrative: • Is it aligned with your overall business strategy? • Are you seeing things from your customers’ point of view? Does it match what they are saying about you? • Is it applied with enough consistency across your communications and marketing? • Do your staff know it and demonstrate it in their behaviours? • Does it use the right language and make the emotional connection you want?


Your brand is your reputation and the foundation stone


of your business. It’s a precious thing, so understand it and try never to take it for granted.


business network November 2017 37


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