It’s one of the first things we try to clear up.   Let’s think of it this way… your logo is kind of like your name… and everthing your name says about you – like the type of person you are – is your brand.  It’s not just about how you would describe you… it’s how others would describe you too. Your family, friends, colleagues, the grocery store clerk you see every week, the gym attendant who welcomes you to your workouts, the receptionist at your doctor’s office… would they all say the same things about you?

What do you look like, how do you dress, how do you act, what do you say, do you mean it, do you keep your promises, who do you associate with?  Same concept for your business.  Marty Neumeier, now with Liquid Agency says it best, your brand is not what YOU say it is… it’s what THEY say it is.   How is your business or its products/services uniquely different from your competitors’ business, products or services? How does your business make your customers and employees feel?

If you’re looking to do a re-brand – you need a strategy.  Since your brand is more than your logo, changing or modifying the look of it doesn’t give you a new brand anymore than filing legal papers to change your name would change who you are.  You have to get up close and personal with your company - look from the outside in and then from the inside out.  You have to know what your customers are saying and feeling and you also have to know what your internal stakeholders (employees) are saying and feeling… oh-and take those rose colored glasses off first…

About Tanya Blackburn

Tanya is a marketing/public relations enthusiast and former television journalist with a nose for news and a knack for simplifying complex information into easy to understand, impactful key messages.