The truth is, we wouldn’t be looking at a picture at all. Branding is more than who you are, it’s what people think about who you are. More to the point, it’s what people feel about who you are. Branding is the totality of your company’s image value—your products, your services, your people, your logo, the kinds of advertising you use, the messages you send, your positioning in the marketplace and the culture that drives your business.

But most of all, your brand is your promise.

It’s what you’ve told the world to expect when they choose to do business with you.

Branding on the Brain
While a brand isn’t a picture, there’s no denying that it is an image—and a powerful one. “Think of yourself as a Texas rancher rounding up a herd of consumers and figuratively burning your identity into their gray matter,” says Gayle Sheehan, who heads up the marketing division of Bells International. “What does that identity look like? It should be unique enough to distinguish your brand from all the other mental brands out there and creative enough to maintain that ‘top of the mind’ position every company craves.”

Most importantly, she said, it should be an enticing promise of performance. Remember, that promise will, in large part, determine how an individual feels about your company.
Part of that is perception; part of it comes from brand experience—whether a person has had positive or negative encounters with your brand.

Imagining the Image
Everyone has a personality. It can be competent, friendly, sloppy, boring, detached, exciting, reserved—but there it is, good or bad. Your company has a personality, too. And before you’ve had a single encounter with a prospective customer, your brand vision lets you display the personality you want the world to see.

“Before you can build brand equity, you need to know your target market and have a clear understanding of who you are and the image you want to project,” says Sheehan.
While you may be ready to revamp your logo, brochure or website, you should first identify and evaluate the qualities that set you apart. And don’t fall for the familiar “we offer the best service” pitfall, because every business believes and promotes that. Look inward to find that personality trait that will make you memorable, but also look outward to see what the rest of the world is saying about you and your competition.

Remember, marketing does only part of the job. If you also have exceptional people coupled with the right product, service and delivery, you can create a psychological presence that tells the marketplace you’re someone worth getting to know. So before you show us your brand, make sure it’s something worth showing off.