Feature Post by Mitch Lipon, CEO of Ignite XDS
I often meet with company leaders, and naturally, the conversation tends to evolve into a discussion on Brand. What I find truly amazing is how many executives think their Brand is exclusively a visual experience. It’s discussed as if nothing but how it “looks” matters, and oftentimes it’s an afterthought at that. There seems to be a definite misunderstanding about a company’s visual identity and their Brand.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon said it best – “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room”.
Think about it this way – your consumers have lives to lead. They are busy moving from place to place, and task to task. Their daily routine is not necessarily dependent on your product, or your company. Your Brand, and what they think about it when you’re not there, is the piece that’s needed to change that equation.
Will they choose to interact with you? What value does your offering hold to them?
Will they someday recommend you to their friends or peers? All of these questions are answered one way or another based on their perceived value of your Brand. Is visual a part of that? Absolutely! It’s not the only part, however, and it may not even be the most important part. With so many purchase decisions and value judgments being made in the Hidden Buying Cycle, it is far too risky to put all your cards in a visual basket alone, while assuming every other aspect of the consumer’s decision-making process will take care of itself.
Building your Brand needs to be an integral part of building your business. It must be woven into every thread of your organization and live within your culture. Meeting and exceeding your customer’s expectations is the space that your Brand lives in. Imagine getting consumers all excited about a product or promotion, only to under-deliver on product quality, service level, or delivery.
What could have been a great opportunity to impress, could actually become a great failure. And it’s your Brand, not your look or your logo, that is ultimately left to suffer the consequences. Consumer expectations are becoming sharper by the minute. It’s time to engage your marketing team, and ultimately your entire organization. It’s time to weave the voice of your consumer throughout your operation. It’s time to understand, and invest in the only thing you really have to sell...customer experiences with your Brand.
It’s time to build your Brand!
