Be Your Brand

by Regan Hillyer

  Passions are things that keep you interested. Passions make you want to investigate and intrigue you. For personal driven reasons, they make you want to get better. Passions are things you would do that you would pay for or would do even without getting paid for it.

  A passion can be both professional and personal. Identify your professional and personal passions. This will give you a clue about what drives your life professionally. When you are not working, you are usually doing something you are passionate about.

  Professional passions might include technology, smart phones and design. Personal passions might include the outdoors, travel and family.

  Aside from the values of a person, these passions provide a clear vision for where you want to be in 2, 5 or 20 years. The moment you identify what you are passionate about, it starts becoming clear what profession type you are best matched for and what would bring you satisfaction.

  Identifying your traits will help you further unlock what you are passionate about and ultimately create your personal brand. These are aspects unique to your own personality that help in shaping you as a person. Things like traits are what give others a key within your mind. Some examples of personality traits include:

  Neuroticism

  Agreeableness

  Extraversion

  Conscientiousness

  Openness to experience

  Each trait mentioned above is scaled and assessed. Every person tends to be somewhere on various scales making up their character. When it comes to traits, there really are no right and wrong answers. What you are doing is simply making an identification of where you stand and how you want your personal brand to unfold. It is good to know where you stand right now. Also, know that you can always chance. This way you can make plans for change if you feel like a change is necessary.

  With your peers, friends and family, discuss who you are. These people will help you get an idea of who you are as a person and it is going to be good to listen to them. Ask people how they perceive you. Inquire about what they believe you value, what they feel your traits are as well as your passions. The exterior perception might not be the same as your own self-perceptions or they may indeed be aligned.

  No matter what the verdict is, the information you get from asking other people about you will help you understand things better and where you want to be in your personal and professional life. In the end, you will live a life that is more fulfilling if you build your personal brand. Get feedback from peers, friends and family to know how aligned your goals are with your personal brand.

  THE POWER OF YOUR UNIQUE STORY

  In personal branding, your story is everything! I always hear people tossing their story to the side and saying that it’s not important, when it is really one of THE most important parts of your brand. Why? Because it allows people to connect with you and your brand on a deeper level and allows people to learn through your life experiences at the same time.

  People that do realise the power in their story often simply focus on their successes, their wins, the great things that have happened in their life, and although those are important, what is potentially MORE important is unlocking your unique failures and the critical turning points in time where others can learn and ultimately fast track their success.

  Discovering Your Unique Failures

  Often what we perceive to be our most terrible, unsuccessful, awful moments of failure, eventually become our biggest glories. There is power in your failures and also money locked away in your failures. I always say, “The bigger the failure, the easier it is to have a big impact and create a lot of money.” Why? There will always be people willing to invest in you to learn from your experiences so they can short-cut their road to success, by-pass the failures and achieve what they want faster.

  Dig deep into what you believe your “failures” are in your life. These could be big things, for example being broke or homeless, or, things which people often deem to be not as big (but actually are) such as being totally lost, confused or unfilled. Any times that are not spent ecstatically happy and moving forward, can be dived into deeper because there are absolutely lessons in there!!

  Unlocking Your Critical Turning Points in Time

  Your unique, critical turning points in time are potentially even more powerful than your unique failures. Your critical turning points are that slight moment in time, where during or directly after your perceived failure at the time, you make a decision or something happens which creates change, often in an upwards or positive direction. Those “aha” moments are absolutely critical when it comes to sharing your compelling story and also helping others unlock how you have achieved what you have achieved. So dive deep on this and make sure with every failure that you list when defining your story, to work out the critical turning point in time that shortly followed it.

  WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT?

  When you are developing a brand, think about what makes you stand out. What do people remember? Human memory has found that the mind remembers things that are and distinctive. The goal is to be perceived as a unique product and not be just one of many in a sea of the same old same old. If you think genuine brands are primarily the reason for marketing departments that burn the midnight oil while advertising messages that push your message across, you wouldn’t be wrong. The process of advertising involves literally broadcasting thousands of bits of information throughout the course of a day, including advertising online and through message boards. The ones that are authentic tend to stick in the mind and truly affect decision making. Once there is a connection made with consumers on a meaningful and emotional level; that is to say, your product genuinely fulfills a need or and a desired feeling, then this translates to purchases made and income. These are genuine brands that make the money. A genuine brand is defined as: “The internalized impressions received by customers and consumers resulting in a position in their mind’s eye based on perceived value.

  Perceptions, once formed, are difficult to alter. This is why many of the dot-coms failed. They did not have promise, or if they made one, chances are it was broken. During the height of the initial e-commerce surge, do you know how many e-commerce sites offered free shirts with the promise of delivery in time for Christmas? How many could not deliver on that promise? The vast majority of them saw the next holiday shopping season. Why? Because they found out too late that once a promise was made, customers expected them not only to keep it but make good on it as well if the promise was broken. Internet companies were not alone in the unfulfilled promise department. Many companies fail to provide personal service when it is needed most. How easy is it to contact a real, live, empowered, decision-making customer service representative on the weekends? It is the experience—the interaction between customers and the company that shapes and drives a brand’s perceptions, attitudes, and buying decisions.

  This process begins when the promise is made and extends to when the promise is delivered. The brand’s ability to live up to its promise determines whether customers, newly acquired or long term, are loyal and return. It also determines how frequently they return. But most importantly, the promise determines how they feel. New York Life’s media advertising expresses the promise philosophy well. Its advertising asks the question, “Does a promise come with an expiration date? Is it a month, a year, decades from now? At New York Life we make promises that have no expiration date.” The successful implementation of an innovative and distinctive strategy for any organization’s brand, regardless of size are tightly linked to its ability to succeed beyond the first few years of operation—and prosper as well. At the end of the day, brands that live up to their promise have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy bottom line.

  A successful brand reflects the successful implementation of a strong promise. The benefit is that competitors with emotional links already have strong loyalty among them and do not need to use excessive marketing dollars to generate store traffic. As you can see, when it comes to understanding consumer motiv
ations, the attributes which can differentiate a good brand compared to its competitors’ positions on the brand can be very helpful in developing a strong following. A good brand that becomes successful places the customer first. It is a state of mind, the heart and soul of an organization. A promise defines how to feel. It defines the benefits organizations want for their customers, both emotional and functional, that the customers should expect to receive when experiencing a brand’s products or service.

  THE WOW FACTOR

  What’s the “wow” about? It is when customers, tribe members, constituents, clients, and the public consider the brand to be a “friend.” Rewarding loyalty can be a wonderful strategy. When it becomes the sole reason for customers returning, it can become something else, something I refer to as “brand bribery.” Brand bribery lurks in commodity-driven industries characterized by a discernible lack of differentiated products or outstanding service—THE TRUST FACTOR. We use the word “genuine” because it means authentic, and something that’s genuine is supposed to be real and trusted. At the core of a genuine brand is the feeling of trust. The importance of trust cannot be overstated. Organizations that believe in creating genuine brands are able to benefit from brands with integrity.

  Brand integrity forms a foundation for trust and interpersonal warmth and loyalty. It builds credibility and leads to a personal reputation. By creating predictability, it enables others to predict your judgments and to act on reliable, accurate information. It all but eliminates the need for associates to wonder and discuss what your agenda is and whether you mean what you say. These immediate consequences of integrity echo far beyond the attitudes and behaviors of associates and directly impact the customer’s experience.

  CREATING EXCEPTIONAL PERCEIVED BRAND VALUE

  Perceived value is at the crux of everyone’s perception of their experience with your brand. Often, companies are singularly concerned about price of their products. While price is important, it’s only one part of the whole. As a general rule, customers develop their perception of value through a subconscious feeling as a result of comparing the brand’s product and service offerings with those of its competitors based on their own needs, preferences, buying behavior, and characteristics. Thus, a customer’s perception of value constantly changes to deliver value and delight customers and is deeply rooted in the promise. Genuine brands create delighted customers who believe and trust the brand’s ability to deliver value and are willing to pay an amount greater than the total cost of the products and services. Profits serve as one measure of how well a brand is creating delighted customers. However, long-term profit is more important than a strategy that increases profits in the short term at the expense of future brand equity. In some cases, customers may perceive value to mean “low in price.” A marketing position of lowest price is the most difficult to sustain and generally is an indication that the brand or organization has become a commodity in the minds of consumers. The only distinctive point of difference that commodities usually have is price. Genuine brands understand that a lowest-price strategy does not necessarily guarantee customer loyalty. Customers looking for the lowest price will primarily be loyal to the price, not the brand. On the other hand, when customers perceive that the brand has established a brand that consistently delivers value, it now has the foundation to become a genuine brand. As a result, genuine brands enjoy higher degrees of profitability, customer loyalty and enhanced brand equity. When an organization is “thinking like a brand,” everyone understands that customers are buying more than just products or services. Genuine brands never focus solely on a product alone; they are committed to their brand as a product and service. To refer to a product alone is to say that the customer doesn’t care about time convenience, feelings, and overall satisfaction. When creating a brand, the perceived benefit should exceed the ability to deliver the positive perceived value which is determined by consumers’ perceptions of brand’s benefits versus its total cost, both functional and of course, emotional.

  A brand concept of a guarantee is based on a philosophy of signals. Promise signals can include everything from customer feedback to customer service representatives on the phone. The important promise signal is the organization’s commitment to how they make the customers feel when they have a service problem. Ace Hardware is a good example of the value of a “no-hassle” guarantee. When I return an item to Ace, I’m never made to feel bad, nor do I get hassled. In fact, Ace makes customers feel just as good when they return as they did about the original purchase. This is a service signal. Ace is actually a cooperative of 4,600 stores owned primarily by individual operators, and the company has recently enjoyed great success. As Ray Griffith, the CEO, says, “We come to work every day on behalf of the entrepreneur. We have a chip on our shoulder about the big boxes, and we like that. We like being the underdog. America loves the underdog.” It’s clear that Ace wants to distinguish its customer experience from other “big box” stores (national home improvement megastores). It’s interesting to note that, in 2007, Ace Hardware (“The Helpful Place”) was ranked the highest in customer satisfaction for major home improvement stores by J.D. Power and Associates. Another great example is Wolferman’s. Wolferman’s was founded in 1888 and has been a proud purveyor of specialty foods for over 100 years. In 1910, it started making the unique English muffins, which is only one of their premium specialty foods. Wolferman’s promise to its customers is to, “Deliver exceptional food experiences to our valued customers.” You’ll notice in that Wolferman’s expresses its commitment to making its customers feel “delighted.” I believe that if you exceed the customer’s expectations you can succeed against the corporate goliaths. It’s always great when someone responds to a request with, “It’s my pleasure.” Now that is the perfect promise signal and, hey, it works.

  In order for a brand to be effective, it must be delivered at the “customer’s convenience”. In other words, if an organization promises to be fast or the most responsive, it must be perceived by the “essence” (heart, soul and the customers) just as fast. It doesn’t matter if an organization is a family business, global corporation, nonprofit association, or a solo entrepreneur. The process is the same. If an entity has a good mission statement that explains what it does, then the mission statement can coexist with a promise that defines how an organization wants its customers to feel. Scott Smith of Haggen Food & Pharmacy describes this mindset from a customer’s point of view: “I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.”

  Based on the perceptual insights developed in a brand’s research with consumers, customers, associates, and influencers, the goal is to address the following three questions, which were introduced. What is our experience all about? What distinguishes our products and services from competitors? What is superior about the value we offer our customers? However, in order to develop the right promise, an organization must adopt a customer-focused mindset.

  For example, Costco has earned its own branded description for a great shopping experience called the “Costco Run.” In Costco, there is a tendency for everyone to shop more than they planned, yet all wonder about how this could happen. Members’ perception is confident about the Costco brand and that’s the key as customers feel really good about trusting this super store. This is why its memberships increase at the rate of nearly 87 percent year after year. Costco’s commitment to its employees and members brings its promise to each customer. The key questions are:

  Does every person associated with a brand know what the promise is?

  Does every associate know how he or she is supposed to deliver the promise?

  Service means nothing unless it’s connected to how a brand wants its customers to feel. A promise focuses on how an organization or individual wants its customers to feel, while missions or visions usually relate to what an organization expects to do. A genuine brand that has a real promise should know how its customers feel every day and not have to wait for a rating service to determine
its customer satisfaction. So-called branding initiatives that do not include a real promise are a waste of time and money. The branding rule: “Treat customers better than they expect to be treated.

  The “good brand” test:

  Can customers always talk to a real person?

  When customers talk to associates, do the associates make the customers feel that they are glad to help?

  Do associates sound positive and upbeat in order to lower customer anxiety levels?

  AUTHORITY POSITIONING

  You are an authority and an expert about something. Once you realize this, everything will fall into place. Ask yourself, what are you good at? What did you always dream to be? Have you always pictured yourself doing something in line with your interests? Knowledge is power, and when it comes to brand development, this is no exception.

  Any successful brand must be good at its business, that is doing things right. However, building an optimum brand requires “doing the right things and living the authentic life.” Genuine brands that dominate their segments always have a distinctive position in the consumer’s mind and habitually create positive paradigm shifts that consumers enjoy. Time is listed first because it can be the source of tremendous competitive advantage. Everyone has a shortage of time, hence time is extremely valuable, and it is becoming a significant driver of perceived value. Genuine brands understand that their products and services are not simply a set of attributes or just a “thing.” They understand that consumers are moved by the gestalt of the brand—all its tangible and intangible (functional and emotional) benefits, integrated into consumers’ consciousness. Genuine brands deliver a distinctive promise that creates memorable value reaching far beyond their customer base. Any person or organization that wants to be a brand must focus on its promise to its customers, influencers, and employees. The widespread focus on “image” without the first requirement being a genuine promise is the real issue today, and I believe that this is one of the biggest challenges that traditional advertisers face. A brand is only as good or as valuable as it is. Imagine if every advertising agency required its clients to have a promise that their associates were delivering before creating any advertisement, promotion, or communication. Without a promise, a brand is at risk of failure.