Like Minds 2010 - brand lesson #3

The third lesson of the day for me at Like Minds came from Olivier Blanchard, and touched on possibly the biggest brand issue for businesses to get their heads round: Exactly what is our brand?

Olivier's presentation took a look inside an average company - with a neat X-ray photo. He explored how social media engagement should be something that every department within a company embraces, to uncover the opportunities that exist to add value to their business. But the stumbling block for most businesses is looking at social media as an independent activity - something unconnected to the other, everyday, activities of the company. Each department sits in their separate box, doing their 'job' in the same way that they always have, and not necessarily looking at the benefits and opportunities that social media offers to communicate - and not just with customers, but with colleagues too.

What struck me was, that in my experience, a lot of businesses look at their brand in much the same way. For many companies their brand is their logo. For the more enlightened ones their brand might include everything they stick that logo on to - business cards, brochures, websites... Most businesses think that their brand is their marketing strategy (at best) or marketing material (at worst). They just see their brand as a (one-dimensional) communication tool. And for that reason brand is the responsibility of the marketing department, and its usually jealously guarded!

But a brand is so much more! A brand is the personality of your company or organisation, and it will communicate with your audience every chance it gets. It is a communication tool, don't get me wrong. But it's not just the words and pictures on your website or brochure. It's every aspect of your business. It's the product or service you provide to your customers. It's the people within your business. And it's the place where you do business.

Every department, or individual, within your business has an opportunity to communicate your brand. And if they do, it will only make your brand, and your business, stronger. So take your brand out of its box. Let it stretch its legs. Let everyone take a look at it to see how it can add value to what they do within your company. It's a very useful tool. I guarantee there is at least one thing it can do within YOUR business to add real, tangible value.

If you would like to know more about what your brand can do for your business, you might be interested in our Brand to Deliver workshop. It's been designed to help ambitious businesses exploit the opportunities that they create. To find out more email jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk or call 01392 248107.