7 Elements of Branding

I’m excited to share with you deep insight on branding in association with the growth of your business or ministry. Branding is not about you as the business owner at all!

It’s about your customers, your clients, or your audience. It’s all about how they perceive, feel, and connect with the what, who, where, and why of your mission.

In order for your target to have any connection to what you do they have to “get it”. Once they “get it” they can now form an

opinion and THEN you will finally become relevant to your target.

This can either be a conscious or unconscious decision; but there is certainly an art to how you present yourself to the world at large! At my core, I believe I am on earth to complete a personal mission, and that is to assist others to develop and implement a plan of growth. My mission is to share solid growth strategies so that you can continue reach the masses! Here we go!

IS YOUR MISSION CLEAR?

Over the years I have developed my own strategy to get to the core of a business’s mission by use of “BRANDING”! All of the big dogs are doing it! Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonalds, Apple, Windows, and the list goes on. It’s become huge! You don’t have to be big dog to do things right! There is certainly an art to developing a brand behind a company. Branding your mission can be a huge overtaking but I have learned how to simplify the process. With over a decade of experience I have developed my very own formula called “The 7 Elements of Branding” and today I will share this with you! Using this formula will start you in the right direction of implementing the HEART of your mission.

Business development and marketing have come a very long way and it is important to stay on the cusp of things if growth is your goal. I recently watched a documentary based on an African American movie producer. He made a statement that shocked me! He said, “in the 70’s we did not have marketing, there was no such thing, we just did it”. That statement hit me to the core because my entire business is based around marketing. I assist my clients on marketing their businesses and I help my clients learn how to make themselves marketable and attractive to hiring managers. I even see elements of marketing in our personal relationships.

Needless to say I LOVE MARKETING and I love sharing my knowledge.

What I have learned over my 13 years in marketing is that it is really not about the bells and whistles at all! It’s not about the advertising, the glamor, nor the high pixilated images. NOPE. Good marketing connects to your audience and the only way you can connect with your audience is through your own authenticity! That means knowing on a cellular level why you do what you do, why you do it, what you feel about it, why you make a difference and why others should care.

I always say to my clients, “So you’re in business and you are good at what you do, wonderful, “Now tell me why others will care”?

We must be clear if we want people to care! Getting to the meat or the WHY of your business and being able to explain that truth is the most important part of getting people to listen and care about your product, service, or mission.

Let’s get to the meat!

1: What is your Title and Niche? (If I were to write an article on you and your mission, how would you like your name and title listed? What do you do?)
2: Who is your Target Audience? (Who do you serve? Age group, sex, region, habits, desires, drives, needs, etc.)
3: Who are you? (As a professional, as a person, as a business owner, who are you?)
4: Who do you work with? (Who is your ideal client and why?)
5: Why would someone be interested in hiring or listening to you? (Why hire you and not John? This is your chance to bring it and tell me why you are spectacular.)
6: What problem do you solve? (We all have specific gifts and talents that help us fulfill a need on earth, what is it?)
7: What do your clients need to hear from you? (What is your core message? The simple message that penetrates all of the chatter? What message resonates with your target?)

Here is why the 7 Elements are important:

Going through this series of questions will make you think. See, you have probably been living out your mission for quite some time and you are probably really good at it. That can at times be a disadvantage when it comes to marketing. You are so on top of your game that it has now become hard to simplify your messaging. If it takes you more than 60 seconds to explain to someone what you do; then you’re doing it wrong my loves.

It’s similar to Physicist speaking on the Theory of relativity. For example: Physicist are so familiar with the Universal Laws of Science that taking a step back is a challenge. It’s your job to understand the complexities of what you do; not the job of your clients or audience. With that in mind, these questions have the power to assist you in kicking off your brand development effort.

Trust me when I say, this is what will help you keep your focus when explaining, marketing, and performing any sort of outreach now and in the future.

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