What is your brand? When you ask yourself this question, do you have any trepidations about your answer? You may feel uncertain about going through the branding process. Or maybe you worry about what other people might think or say about your brand.
These are valid feelings because your brand is a very personal thing. It communicates not only the professional parts of you but also what it’s like to do business with you as a human being. People want to know that the person they’re thinking of doing business with is interesting, unique, and qualified to help them solve their needs.
People tend to ask their friends, family, and peers their opinion about their brand ideas early in the process. Below, we define a brand identifier and three reasons why it’s important to put the blinders on and be careful whose opinions you seek during the branding process.
What Is a Brand Identifier?
A brand identifier is otherwise known as a slogan or a line. It’s one of the first things that BrandFace works on with people to help them define a tone and direction for the brand.
A brand identifier should state who you are or what you do or stand for. This process teaches you how to create a brand identity, so you have a framework for your brand and know the direction you’re moving in and what you want to be known for.
A brand identifier is by no means all of the brand, which leads us to the first point about why it’s important to put those blinders on and own your brand.
The Ownership of a Brand Denotes Leadership
Asking for an opinion of what others think about a brand denotes that you’re looking for someone else to reassure you of your decision. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, so we’re not saying it’s horrific for you to ask somebody’s opinion about your brand identifier or the direction of your brand.
We want to point out that you have to consider the source of who you’re asking, even if it’s a spouse or a very, very close loved one. For example, you may not get the most honest answer when you ask your grandma, who loves you dearly and thinks everything you do is fantastic. On the other hand, you also don’t want the opinion of someone who doesn’t believe in your goals and tries to convince you otherwise. Though they are fantastic, loving people, they are likely to give you opinions that won’t be helpful.
You have to consider the source when you’re putting your brand together. The brand needs to identify with you, and even your very close loved ones might not completely understand the direction in which you’re going. You need to put your faith in people who know what they’re doing.
A Lot of People Do Not Understand Branding
The last thing you want to do is take the advice of people who need help understanding branding, especially early in developing your brand. One of the most common mistakes is people mixing up marketing and branding.
Marketing and branding are two very different things. Marketing uses various channels to get your message out to prospective customers. The channel could be anything, including social media ads (Facebook, Google, Instagram), postcards, newspaper ads, billboards, TV ads, you name it. The brand is the message you’re broadcasting using those various channels.
Knowing how to get a message out on branding is very different from creating and crafting a message that is authentic and designed to attract your ideal customers. A brand encompasses many different things, so if you’re asking someone about your brand early in the process, chances are they don’t even understand branding.
You Are Asking the Competition
Sometimes, you may ask the opinions of peers competing with you, and you can’t tell whether they’re giving you an honest answer. Some people may, but others may be jealous of the direction that you’re going and are afraid your business will take off.
We know that it all comes down to how well you own your brand identity. When you go after your own brand, you go after the ownership and authenticity of who you are and why you do what you do. The branding message in its entirety is how you portray that to people.
The Takeaway
We’re here to help you confidently answer the question, “What is your brand?” Take other people’s opinions with a grain of salt, and don’t waver on your ownership. That is what will help you build the brand that you want. Your brand is the message and image you put out there to create a feeling and attraction to your business. You’re committing to being better in your business, so it’s time that you own it.
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BrandFace LLC is a personal branding company for coaches, consultants and other experts who want to STAND OUT from their competition and attract their ideal customers so they can become recognized and sought after authorities in their industry. Tonya Eberhart & Michael Carr are international bestselling authors and the partners behind BrandFace. Their mantra is, “People don’t do business with a logo. They do business with a person.”