The 7C’s of Branding

So, you want to attract more business, right? To stand out from the crowd and be seen as unique and special, start with the items listed below to assess your present circumstance and gauge your future ability to increase business while Building Your Brand.

The purpose for the steps listed is to build a strong foundation for success. Similar to building a house, we must first construct the foundation. This ‘platform’ will enable you to create from strength and will supply you with a multitude of options for building your ‘dream home’. A strong brand is the springboard for this strategy.

1. Clarity:

Take the time to discover what makes you different. Do this with a professional who can assist you in new ways of looking at your business and yourself. Make a list of five to ten key strengths. When you know what makes you special you are able to move forward and build a platform for success based on these you-nique factors. Your business will now have structural integrity and will congruently increase your attraction quotient. Niche markets will be easier to identify.

2. Communication:

Once your you-nique qualities are discovered, it is much easier to speak to your audience clearly and in a way that they can hear you. Your communications will become less stressful and more likely to hit your intended target. A clear path will begin to unfold. Create a tagline or ‘personal mantra’ to easily state your you-nique qualities and benefits. Practice with a mentor until you find the best one. Create a plan for communicating to your audience (such as direct mail, advertising, promotions) and begin to implement.

3. Consistency:

With steps 1 & 2 complete you are now able to be consistent in your continuing campaigns to educate future prospects. Apply your new mantra language to every piece of your promotional and/or collateral material. Formulate tangible business practices; review and plan your vision for developing business, and your business model, so clients can rest assured that you will deliver in a reliable fashion. All visual communications should clearly link together as well, and elements mentioned above will be put into practice.

4. Credibility:

Consistency in product, product delivery and all corporate communications will lead to credibility in the marketplace. This cornerstone to success stands firmly on the shoulders of the previous steps you have taken. Internal and external experiences of your business should align. Measure your effectiveness through client feedback. Gather client testimonials to integrate into materials for promotion. Continue to tweak and adjust to meet your market’s needs.

5. Creativity:

Another important element is your creativity in fulfilling and building a brand. It is a challenge to present your business in innovative ways that will continue to attract more potential clients. Utilizing the steps above, staying creative is much more likely to occur. Have fun and think out of the box. Enjoy this exercise and you will play the game to win! How can you stimulate your creativity?

6. Connection:

Always remember what it is like to be a consumer of your goods. Put yourself in your clients’ shoes at every juncture to test the viability of your choices. Will it serve the client in a way that they will appreciate? If not, how can you steer the ship in that direction? Hold focus groups if possible. Take a client to lunch and ask for an honest review. We do not operate in a void. Our audience must relate to us as we grow and develop. Client retention depends on it.

7. Competencies:

In order to remain competent at our endeavors we must continue to grow and learn. To give our clients what they deserve we must evolve and educate ourselves to be on the cutting edge of innovation in our industries. Love to learn and think in new ways and your knowledge will keep you ahead of the crowd. Always look forward while measuring the past, and learn wherever you can. Join organizations, hire the best, find mentors, coaches and advisors to assist. Share these experiences with staff and colleagues to stay engaged and energized.

Utilizing and reviewing these principles on a continuous basis can yield the results you desire. This information can also be an excellent method to review with your marketing professionals to insure correct application while building additional strategies for your business development. Strength in Branding is indeed a pivotal element for success.