Strategy

Getting It Right: Why Brand Strategy Always Precedes Logo Design

In the last issue of Design Deli, we looked at how the function of a logo is to represent your brand in a visual way, but is not the brand itself, just as a map is not the actual terrain it depicts.

In order to create a successful logo, it is important to have a workable brand definition in hand at the onset of the project, or develop one. In the last several years, branding has become a signature service offered by many design firms. Since the function of design is to inspire desired behaviors in the client’s audience, an experienced designer should be well positioned to assist in brand development.

This is a strategic process with specific outcomes. It is not the same thing as design development, which should always be driven by brand strategy. James McNamara, a noted arts branding expert, lists the following as the basics:

Identification of, and recommendations to resolve, an organization’s major communications issues (e.g. misperceptions to correct, new ideas to communicate, organizational issues that need to be rectified to ensure effective communications).
Identification and analysis of the audiences with whom you want to communicate.
A Position Statement focusing people internally on how to think about your organization that is used to inform critical organization messages and visual identity.
Key Image Attributes, almost personality traits, for your organization that need to be communicated via messages or visuals. These often suggest graphic identity development.
Primary and supplementary Organization Messages that always need to be communicated about your organization.

McNamara thinks that brand strategy and design strategy are both important, but that design should stem from branding. Your brand strategy should be a guide to how you want your business or organization to be perceived, and how to make basic decisions about how you convey your value, how you address your audience, and how you craft your messages to that audience.

After this thoughtful deliberation, you will be much better able to make productive decisions about your design and communications strategies. As a result, your choices will be more effective, and therefore truly support your business goals. Understanding what the job requires makes all the difference in choosing the right tools.

Positioning: RX for Your Identity Crisis

Have you ever had a prospect ask,

“What do you do?”

There are few questions that will send us into deer-in-the-headlights stuttering as fast. When it happens, we resolve to Do Something About It. But figuring out a short, compelling way to explain your value as a business is HARD. So it gets shelved until the next time it happens and another identity crisis shakes your world.

The antidote: Positioning.

Positioning is the strategy you use to develop your brand. As my faithful readers know, your brand is what your market thinks of you, based on all the experiences they have had with your organization. The crucial difference: Positioning is something that you do proactively so that your brand will be perceived the way you want. Positioning tells your customers what they should think about you, instead of waiting for the effect of brand experience to kick in.

When you position proactively, you give yourself a big advantage. To get started, you need to decide how to complete these four statements:

1 .This is what I offer:
2. This is whom I can best serve:
3. This is why I’m different:
4. This is why that difference matters to my target market:

Your statements must be clear and specific no matter what type of business or organization you have. They will help you understand your value from your buyer’s perspective so you can explain it to your prospects effectively. When you are clear about your purpose, your market, your difference and your value, those recurring identity crises become history.

For example, if you’re in retail, you need to explain why people should buy shoes from you and not Macy’s. If you are a lawyer, you need to be able to say why clients should hire you to do their estate planning and not the firm their cousin recommended. If you do economic development, you have to show why a business should locate in your community and not down the road.

Once you have your four positioning statements, you will have the basis for an effective response to “What do you do?” You will also have the answer to their next questions (spoken or unspoken) which are “What’s in it for me?” and “So what?” These are the most important questions that an effective marketing plan must answer.

Going through this exercise for my design and marketing business was eye-opening. I realized I could not answer the four questions adequately on my own, so I sought guidance from three awesome marketing colleagues whose work I respect and who understood my work and my market. They were also willing to point out when I was deluding myself or going down an unproductive path.

When you tackle these critical questions, be sure to engage the help of a feedback provider who is objective. You could start by consulting with your partner, trusted colleagues or favorite clients. And if you’re not convinced that your positioning is clear, it may be time to work with a marketing professional. I know how valuable the results are, yet how hard this process can be. I would love to help. Contact me either by phone (360-457-0217) or by email if you’d like to explore the answers together.

My 4 Favorite Always Rules for Doing Business

Last month I wrote about my list of four things a business should never do, called The 4 Nevers. I was amazed at the amount of feedback I got from fellow businesses, confirming, commiserating or commenting on them. Many were glad to be reminded, and some had their personal Nevers to share. Apparently I touched a bit of a nerve for some of my readers! The Nevers included:

Never work with anyone who treats you like you’re stupid.
Never sell your product or service to someone who doesn’t understand its value.
Never let your client set your price.
Never ignore what your gut is telling you.

So as promised, here are my four favorite Always:

Always observe the Golden Rule.

This can be expressed in many different ways – karma, what goes around comes around, etc. – but what it comes down to is, the best way to treat people is how you would like to be treated. As a rule for doing business it is absolutely infallible. And not being rocket science, it is also really easy to remember. This is the flip side of the #1 Never rule above.

Always put agreements in writing.

No matter how hard we try to cover all bases and be clear, there is always potential for misunderstandings, misinterpretations and just plain forgetting, whenever we make agreements about doing business. For the sake of everyone’s sanity, every project should begin with a written agreement about the scope, budget and timeline, and have a process for scope changes.

Always strive to do better and learn more.

It’s very easy, especially after you’ve been in business for a while, to get complacent and find yourself in a comfortable place of “we’ve always done it this way.” Comfort is the enemy of growth! If you are not making time to stay up on new developments in your field, you are writing a slow, painful death warrant for your business.

Always believe in the value of your work and your expertise.

If you don’t, then why should anyone else? Even though we may have days when we feel insecure about our worth as businesses, this belief needs to be consistently conveyed, not only to our clients but to ourselves. Transient mood swings happen to all of us, and have nothing to do with our basic worth. Believing in the value of what your business offers is the bedrock of all effective marketing.

Slightly More Amusing Business Rules

A quick jaunt on the web turned up lots more business rules, but I like these the best:

• Eat one live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

• When the bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.

• If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.

• If you can’t get your work done in the first 24 hours, work nights.

Want to read more? Go here: http://www.thatwasfunny.com/business-rules-to-live-by/705