Is Your Brand Representative Of Who You Really Are?

• You let“what you’re supposed to be”drive the branding process. You made your branding decisions based on what you think your clients might respond well to — instead of thinking first about creating a brand that shows your soul.

• You were afraid to show the “real you” in your brand,because that may not look professional.You designed something that focused on looking professional instead of being exuberantly you. The result? A brand that falls flat or feels guarded — neither of which helps you to bond with your clients.

• Yourushed into the design process,trying to get something done on a deadline. You just sped through the process, making quick decisions, and giving hasty feedback. Now you’re looking back at the brand you created, and wondering what you were thinking!

• Youdidn’t tell your designer the full visionbehind your business. Perhaps you kept quiet because you thought that giving them less information would help them be more creative (which is not the case!) Or maybe you couldn’t think of what to say, and your designer didn’t ask a lot of questions. You wound up with something that’s based on their assumptions about your business — and we all know that assumptions just aren’t good.

• What is yourideal visionfor your business? Your brand should make a statement about that vision — so you have to get really clear about the vision in order to create a brand that reflects that.

• Whatexperiencedo you want your clients to have? What should doing business with you feel like? What should they get out of it? How do you want to impact them? Create a brand that shows your clients what they will get out of working with you.

• Whatdo your clients sayabout you? If you get the same comments or compliments over and over again, then there’s a good chance that you’re getting an evaluation of how your business is showing up. Take note and use that in your branding.

• How do your logo and materials“look and feel”? Designers say “look and feel” for a reason — your designs should evoke a feeling when people look at them. If they seem emotionless, then look at how you can infuse more meaning into them. And, if the feeling isn’t right, or doesn’t match up with the way you want them to feel, then take steps to align your materials with your business to create a unified front.

• If you have a brand already, does it look theway that you want to be seen?Sometimes, determining if you already have a good thing going, or if you can find room for improvement can really help you to see the right direction.