April 2018

Admittedly with the many journeys we take in life there are no manuals given out. Just considering parenting – case and point!

But in business your brand manual is your bible of truth.  You will never underestimate the complexity of design along with the simplicity once it’s complete. Your brand manual becomes your “go-to” reference for everything to do with the look and feel of your business. It can contain information about your avatar, your mission statement, your colors, fonts, and styles. Plus so much more.

What is the purpose of a brand manual?  

Consistency.

It’s a base layer and foundation of trust with your community.  A very simple example is this:  Jim gets a postcard in the mail offering him a $50 discount on a purchase at a new company. The elaborate postcard is tastefully presented in black, orange and white with a website to visit and a code for the discount.  The name of the company is SuppliesRUs. Interested in the discount Jim visits the website to see a site filled with supplies, but the logo states Supplies4U and the website is red, white and blue. Already Jim’s trust has faltered. As he clicks through the pages of products he notices that some have bold flashing headlines while others are lower case and in a script style font. Jim continues adding to his cart, easily adding $200 worth of supplies but when he clicks on the order button he is taken to a nondescript page without a logo or information. The page shows his total – a place for his coupon code and “Pay Now” in big letters.  

Poking around the site a bit more Jim can find no information on the company, it’s holdings or a common “About Page”.  Being fully aware of scams, Jim leaves the page and deletes all his information. The risk isn’t worth the $50 reward. Consistency would have given Jim more peace of mind thus allowing him to continue with is $200 purchase.

Think of how many times when shopping online that you click on an advertisement inadvertently or click on something that opens in a new tab or window.  Sometimes it’s hard to know where you started – besides the basic distraction factor – it can be difficult enough to stay on task for some people. 

This is where a brand manual will come into play.  Your colors, styles, fonts and message will be set. Everyone who builds or designs anything for your business will be given the brand manual to follow.  It’s up to you and your team to use the concepts consistently on materials, handouts, business cards, order forms, websites and promo materials.  

Don’t run the risk of losing the hundreds of Jim’s who visit your website because you haven’t taken the time to define your business.

Who am I? I’m not referring to Shakespeare’s Soliloquy but more specifically referring to who are you in your business and how is that portrayed.

This is an aspect of every business that requires some deep thought and some difficult questions. As with any important decision it’s good to have a sounding board to help you sort through to find the answers.  Whether that is a partner or consultant, having one in your corner is always a good thing.

Thinking about your business, you may just be starting out or you may be established with years under your belt, regardless of where you fall it’s important to know your role. Business owner, founder, CEO, etc are only titles so let’s take this a step further and discuss image. When asking ‘Who am I?” refer to it as your business.

First step is defining if you are a B2B or B2C company and then diving deeper into are you a service or product based business. B2B is products or services that are sold from one business to another and B2C is products or services which are sold directly to customers. For example you may be a parts manufacturer who sells to auto stores or car dealers. This qualifies you as a B2B. The auto store is considered B2C because they sell to the everyday customer.

Maybe you ARE the business. Authors or public speakers can be ‘the business’ even though they have products or services sold under their name. Radio or Talk Show personalities can also be labeled as ‘the business’.

Once you’ve determined your type of business you can start looking at and developing the image of your business. Too many times businesses don’t think past the logo or their saying. But branding and consistency go so much further. For example, a logo needs to be created in both a picture and text only image. There needs to be a stacked and un-stacked logo. The logo needs to be in black/white – plus the reverse as well as color.

This same consistency needs to carry over into every page, every pdf, every mailing, every header. It must be on everything you use or send out.

Stayed tuned to hear about fonts. Style, size, and variants all have a very important role

The grand champion of business is your ability to continually grow and monetize your following.

Call it your tribe, if you will. These people who have found their way to your table need to be nurtured and fed. You will give them education, communication, tips, treasures and they will think of you as a friend.

A tribe that is attentive and engaging is gold. Not only does this improve your business today, but a well nurtured following increases the value of a business when it is sold. It’s a built in legacy feature.

The problem is that many businesses forget to take care of their tribe. They think that once you have them in your fold they will stay and remain happy. But everyone needs attention and special treatment. We live in the land of chaos and shiny objects that can fill our mind and blind our vision, ultimately leading us off course. By nurturing you have the ability to elevate you and your business to expert or authority status.

This continual nurturing also helps to ensure that they won’t forget who you are. For example, Susan owns a local bakery. She’s built quite the following and is known for her scrumptious creations that melt in your mouth. By reminding her customers of her weekly specials she is staying in the forefront of their mind. Then when she has a new menu item or specialty it is easily announced and received with grand reviews as people flock to her bakery to try the delicacy.  If she hadn’t been nurturing her following and suddenly sends an email announcing her latest temptation it may be greeted with “Who’s Susan? Do we have a new bakery?”

By continually speaking to your tribe you have eliminated the need to re-introduce yourself time and time again. It is now an automatic “Susan has a new specialty we have to stop by this week”.

This is also another way you solidify your branding. By keeping your brand in front of your followers they begin brand association.  Stay tuned as we discuss this in detail in the coming weeks.

For now know this:  build a following, nurture your following, success is eminent.