what the heck is branding?

W H A T T H E H E C KI S B R A N D I N G ?

A N D H O W I T G I V E S Y O U R B U S I N E S S T H E L I F T I T N E E D S

B R A N D I N G

I D E N T I T Y

You’ve probably heard words like

being thrown around.

&

But finding the actual

of those words isn’t easy.

M E A N I N G

In fact, the idea of branding

being given attention

from the business world.

I S O N L Y N O W

B R A N D I N G

C R U C I A L .

T H E T H I N G I S . . .

I S

Business folks often

talk about things like

&

M A R K E T I N G

S E L L I N G

T O O L S

But both marketing and selling

are simply

used to materialize a brand

after it’s been created.

To give you a proper idea of

what branding is,

I’m going to oversimplify it.

B R A N D I N G I S P L A Y I N G A N

A C T I V E R O L E I N H O W Y O U R

I S

B U S I N E S S

P E R C E I V E D .

There. That wasn’t so bad, right?

You might ask,

“What’s the alternative to

developing your brand?”

Well, when we focus on

things that should come

after the brand...

A S A W H O L E .

W E G O A G A I N S T

T H E B U S I N E S S

Not developing your brand

might work for a while.

If you have...

· A perfected product or service

· A loyal customer base

· Remarkable customer service and interaction

· Small communities in which you can thrive

then you might be fine.

But do you have all those things?

Probably not.

And even if you do,

you probably have much

for your business than

where you are right now.

L A R G E R D R E A M S

So if you don’t have a plan

for how your business should be

you’ll never reach those dreams.

P E R C E I V E D

G I V E S Y O U A

R O A D M A P.

B R A N DD E V E L O P M E N T

Instead of “trying something”

in your ad campaign

a developed brand allows you

to know what will work.

or at least have a

pretty good idea.( (

How does this road map

benefit you in the long run?

Here are eight major ways

a crafted brand can help

your business.

B R A N DR E C O G N I T I O N1

B R A N D R E C O G N I T I O N

Brand recognition

is the ability of the public

to identify your brand.


In the 1800s, cattle were marked, or “branded,”

with a distinctive letter or shape to ward off

thieves and ensure the livestock was associated

with a certain owner and property.


It wasn’t long before a brand started to be

associated with quality, personality, and other

consistency factors.


People began to realize that they could “say”

something about whatever they were selling

without actually saying anything at all.


This is the value of brand recognition, or brand

awareness. Your reputation precedes you in

the marketplace. People associate your history

and your consistency with your brand.

S T A N D I N GF O R

S O M E T H I N G2

S T A N D I N G F O R S O M E T H I N G

Standing for something larger than just your

product is essential in today’s marketplace.


To be an advocate for something bigger than just

what you’re selling means you are connecting

with people who agree with you.


See, when you begin the process of branding,

you look first to who you are selling to—the

people who are buying your stuff.


When you strike a chord with those people,

you’ve demonstrated that you are on an equal

level, actually caring about something other

than making money.

E X P R E S S I N GY O U R V A L U E S

W H E N Y O U C A N ’ T3

E X P R E S S I N G Y O U R V A L U E S W H E N Y O U C A N ’ T

This should be a really eye-catching point

for salespeople.When a brand is developed

correctly, it will sell for you.


Correct branding will connect with the ideal

customer you’re trying to reach, and convey

the passion, position, and personality

behind your brand.


Do you realize how significant that is? That means

you don’t have to do as much work selling your

brand because your consumer already understands

what you’re all about. That is huge!

E Q U I T Y4

E Q U I T Y

At a certain point, your brand is considered

to be a business asset, and is even given a

monetary value.

That speaks for itself when it comes to the value of

a brand—when you’ve built a good one, it allows

your business to be worth even more than your

revenue and other tangible assets.

E Q U I T Y

5T H E M A R K E TK E E P I N G U P W I T H

The market is changing...constantly.

No matter what business you’re in, being able to

adjust to your market is a crucial part of operating

a business.

K E E P I N G U P W I T H T H E M A R K E T

Having an established brand allows you to have a

jumping-off point, but being able to shape that

brand to cater to your customer’s needs is the

mark of a truely prolific organization.


This is easy once you have a brand that’s already

created. You just have to test one aspect of your

branding at a time to see what changes.

It’s like experimenting in science class.


6A U D I T Y O U RB U S I N E S S

A C H A N C E T O

I don’t mean tax season audit...

I mean like taking an in-depth look at how your

business works, and this time you’re seeing it

through the lens of your brand.

A C H A N C E T O A U D I T Y O U R B U S I N E S S

If you’ve been around for a while, chances are

good that you have some paperwork, processes,

or even departments that could use some

serious consideration.


Some questions to ask yourself at this stage are:

1. Am I using people to their fullest potential?

2. Are my processes allowing my customer to get the

most ideal representation of your brand?

3. Is every part of my business customer-centric?


7D E C I S I O N M A K I N GS I M P L I F Y I N G

I love talking about this with my clients. A great

part of having an established brand identity is that

it makes business decisions easy.

S I M P L I F Y I N G D E C I S I O N M A K I N G

All you have to do is ask yourself “does this make

sense for the identity of my business?” and

chances are good that you’ll know the answer.

S I M P L I F Y I N G D E C I S I O N M A K I N G

8Y O U R C U S T O M E RL E A R N I N G M O R E A B O U T

This might be the second most valuable benefit

of branding. Remember, your business exists

because of your customer.

L E A R N I N G M O R E A B O U T Y O U R C U S T O M E R

And so does your branding. Actually, the very

process of branding (at least the way I prefer

to do it!) requires figuring out what kinds of

people are most likely to buy your product.


Doesn’t that just make it easier for everyone?

That means you’re not wasting money advertising

to people who don’t want your stuff, they’re time

isn’t wasted learning about stuff they don’t want.


I created this presentation

because I want people like you

to understand what exactly

is, and why it’s important.

B R A N D I N G

Was this helpful for you?

Do you feel like you have a better idea

of what branding is?

Leave a comment below, even just to say

“yes” so I know I should keep making these!

L E A R N I N G M O R E B R A N D I N G A T

M I C H A E L J K E E S E E . C O MA N D A L S O

michaelkeesee

michaeljkeesee

michaeljkeesee