What does your brand stands for? Help create an image that your customers want to be seen as

Your customers want to be perceived as a certain image to others, and if your brand helps them to achieve that, they will choose you over your competitors.

Think form your customers' point of view. Think of how you can make them look like to others when using your product. Yes, don't be surprised. Banding is more about the customer than about your company.

In the last article I shared about the importance of focusing on the one sole brand image that you would like to create. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Don't try to communicate the 10 things your brand stands for because your customer does not have the time to remember that.

In this article I would like to share about the thought process that you should go through when building your brand image. First step...

Think from your customers' point of view

Your customers purchase your brand for a reason. Yes, you need to have good product quality, you need to have good service, but there is more to it when the customer choose you over your competitors. Let's take a few example. Starbucks...There are myriads of coffee shop down the street, why Starbucks? A cup of coffee cost 7 dollars at Starbucks, and I bet you could find many more coffee shops that taste just as good as Starbucks or even better at a much lower price down the street! Why then? Because of the Starbucks trademarked paper cup that you are holding while you walk down the street to work. Because of the Starbucks trademarked paper cup that you are able to put on your office desk for your colleague to see. By holding the Starbucks paper cup relates the customers to the brand. The Starbucks brand stands for stylish, stands for modern and success. Starbucks coffee stands for you are able to purchase a cup of 7 dollar coffee...Starbucks coffee helps deliver the message of who you are to others.

Take another example, there are many luxury cars out there. Why do some people choose Audi, some choose Mercedes Benz, some choose Lexus, and some choose Volvo? Even though all these car brands are in the luxury car sector they stand for different images. Therefore, each car brand helps the owner to express a different image. An Audi creates a young successful entrepreneur image for the car owner. A Mercedes Benz creates an image of a mature and successful man. Lexus creates a image of reliability and flexibility. A Volvo create an image of dependability. Volvo is a car that every successful family caring men must have...

You get the point. Time to wake up. Customers purchase your product for a reason. The reason is about them and not about your company

Branding is more about the customer than your company

Therefore, when thinking of your company's identity, your company's brand. Think what image you want to help create when your customers' use your product.

After building your CIS for the company. The next step is to think of how you should go about and create your company's VI (Visual Identity). VI relates to the logo of your company, the company uniform that you appear in to your customers, the design of your trade show, the design of your website, the design of your brochures that you pass out to customers... basically VI is about how you "Look" in front of your customers.

In the next article I will share about the importance of aligning your CIS with your VI and how often company fail to do so...