It’s a fundamental truth that businesses that don’t move forwards go backwards rather than stand still. Balance sheet reality insists that you simply have to keep growing – your customer base, product and service portfolios, sales lines, margins, profits, and, most precious of all, your brand reputation.
When a brand does have a great reputation, people relate to it and what it represents. They seek it out. They tell their friends and colleagues about it. They want to spend money on it. This is true of massive brands like Virgin and Apple of course, but don’t forget that even the biggest brands start small.
Starbucks was one independent coffee shop. Jo Malone created one perfume. Even McDonalds was a single fast food outlet run by a pair of brothers. How did they grow? Through communicating what made them special through skilful brand marketing.
They identified a brand hook that got under our skin and they used it to drive exponential success. And what success! When we search online, we Google it. We no longer book a taxi, we book an Uber. We don’t even relax anymore, we Netflix and Chill! With that kind of fame, doing business becomes easier… but all brands say something about their business owners and it’s critical that your brand says the right thing about you.
Which brings us back to the original point – you can never stand still. One thing all successful brands agree on is that you have to keep evolving. Even Google which is massively dominant in its market refreshes its brand on a frequent basis.
That’s one of the reasons we created the Focus7 Workshop called ‘Building a Better Brand’. It gives business owners crucial insight into the components of successful brand development. We’ve also added valuable hints, tips and advice on what’s needed to create a powerful visual identity, as well as brand positioning that stands out from the crowd. Whether you are a start-up or mature organisation, you’ll come away with ideas on ways to improve your brand presence.
Brands have an incredible amount of power over our thinking, our emotions and our decision-making. Take Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Lidl. When you think of each one you have a perception about all sorts of things, quality, range, price, value… What about the type of people that shop there? Or how about how you would feel to shop there?
The psychology behind brands is truly potent. Which begs the question, what does your business’ brand say about you? What do you want it to say? Do the two things align? If you’re not sure, or you think things could be improved, then the ‘Building a Better Brand’ workshop could be just the ticket.
Please email hello@focus7int.com to express your interest and put your name on the waiting list for the next workshop.