The definition of brand has changed quite a bit over the years.  In the early 1900′s, brand was simply an identifying symbol or mark that distinguished a product from its competitors.  Cattle ranchers, for example, branded their cattle with their symbol or mark.  Each ranchers product (their cattle) could be easily identified by the brand.

Today brand means so much more than that.  Sure, your symbol, your logo is still part of the equation but it really is just a small part.  Your brand is also everything from the feel of your marketing campaigns, the look and feel of your store, the quality of your product or service to the perception your customers have of you and your business.  Your true brand is the unwritten, unspoken promise that you make to your customers about your products or services.  It is the feeling that your customers leave your store with.

What is the feeling your customers have of your business?  Is it what you intended it to be?  Are you unsure of what impression your customers have of your business?  There’s no doubt in my mind that you know what you want your customers experience to be like but are you sure of what their experience has been.

If you haven’t already done it, now is a perfect time to determine what your brand is.  Make sure your store, inside and out, gives the impression you are going for.  Make sure your staff know what you want your brand to say and what your expectations are of them.  Everything that you and your business does, from advertising, to online presence, to communicating with customers should reflect your brand.

If you are just starting out in business, know that developing your brand takes time.  It’s a matter of showing your customers time after time the same experience.  Eventually, they will come to know you as the company that is [insert your brand here].

What does your brand say?

Photo credit:  Erfellie