A segment from his series on marketing, by Lee Miller, ATBA Executive Director
I think we often look at a brand identity in one of two ways. As a mechanical or formulated process that can be achieved if the right combination of items comes together or that its so far off and mystical we can’t put it into words. And that’s often how we view our ability to know ourselves. How about your station’s identity?
I’m a big believer in self-discovery and understanding who I am at my core. I like to approach understanding the brand’s identity in the same way – as if the brand itself were a living, breathing personified object that had a heart and soul. This means it has strong desires and deeply held values. The more time I spend uncovering those, the better I know the brand and the easier it becomes to talk about those desires and values. These translate into the logo and color scheme, even the tone and words used to describe the brand. The closer I can bring these into alignment, the clearer my brand identity will be.
Three unique ways to get to know your brand:
- Know your brand’s personality: Take one of the many personality test as your brand (we personally favor the Myers Briggs for getting to know your brand). Pretend your brand is a person, and answer all of the questions like you think your brand would. Even better, get multiple employees of your business to take it and see if you all have the same understanding of your brand.
- Define exactly who you are: On a piece of paper, or online, write out exactly who you think your brand is. Then, make a list of all the things people (both customers and potential customers) say about your brand. How do they view it? What questions do they usually have about what you do and who you are? A clearer snapshot of who your brand is should emerge as you answer the questions.
- Take your brand out on a date: This one might sound a little strange, but hear us out – As you think about your brand as a person, where would they go on a Friday night? Who would they hang out with? If you were going to take your brand out to coffee where would you go? What would you talk about?
These may seem like unconventional ways to get to know your brand, but if you don’t know your brand inside and out, how can you share it with potential customers? Your brand identity differentiates you from your competitors and helps build brand loyalty across your customer base, both of which are vital to growth.
