Putting belief in your brand

"Your brand is what Google says it is, not what you say it is."  - Sheri Jacobs

I recently attended a workshop that compared "old" branding concepts with "new"....."new" being in the age of digital media.  Some interesting statistics from a Razorfish survey that were quoted are as follows:

• 4 out of 5 online adults participate in social marketing.
• 97% searched for a brand online.
• 77% watch YouTube videos.
• 40% friend ("like") brands on Facebook.
• 97% are influenced by brand experience (leading to brand conversion).
• 67% read corporate blogs.
• 73% read reviews on Twitter and Amazon.
• 26% follow brands on Twitter.

97% are influenced by brand experience?  How can your business build brand to influence converts?  Imagine your brand being a set of beliefs directly tied to your products and services.  It establishes what your product stands for....your vision and values.  If you are missing a clearly defined brand then your customers (those that you have) will do it for you....and this isn't good for long-term survival.

Companies should position themselves through proper due diligence.  Revisit your business plan and consider your brand and what it stands for.  Is it properly aligned with the vision of the company?  Does it resignate with your customer-base?  Companies have a tendency to inflict too narrow of mind-sets on their customers.  Run focus groups, listen in on your customers and understand what they want and why they want it.....then build a strong brand that symbolizes exactly that.

Bondilyn Jolly, CEO NMD, Inc |  NMDesigns.com eMerge | EasyEmerge.com