we are all in business to make a profit, increase memberships, get votes. we all know there is a bottom line and we need to get those results. what most organizations don’t understand, is the fact that the bottom line are results of a strong brand. they are always an outcome, not a goal.

if you do your job well, if you connect with your audience and give them what they demand and if you are genuine about what you are in business for, then you will achieve that bottom line. you will get the results that a job well done provides. your core business is not to increase your bottom line. your core business is to provide what your customer is demanding. stay true to your core business and you will get good results, but you have to be genuine about it.

success, results will come as a result of your genuine engagement, of acting consistently and authentically with your values, your core and your purpose.

no matter how good your product or service is you’re bound to have some unhappy customers. maybe there was a defect in the product, or they didn’t get the results they were hoping for, or the line up was too long, or your site was down. whatever the reason may be, what’s important is how you treat those customers. your reputation is on the line.  look at it as an opportunity to gain a customer for life. small events like this can take away from your brand and diminish all the hard work you’ve done to build your reputation. as Gary Vaynerchuk says, “we are now living with small town rules again.” word of mouth now a days spread like wildfire and people trust third party opinions much more than advertising or marketing campaigns. so one unhappy customer can turn many potential ones away. we’ve seen this in the “United broke my guitar” case. Read the story here.

really invest in living your brand during the difficult times of dealing with an unhappy customer.  It pays off. 

if you are to do nothing else at least be consistent.

you can’t build on an image, a perception of who your organization or product is if every time you market it it looks different.

it may seem common sense to many but i see it so often companies, big and small using websites, brochures, signs, facilities…you name it all different.  

you can, and should in fact, have flexibility but not so much that you end up confusing your audience.

be consistent, honestly, it pays off.

i’ve heard many definitions or opinions of what a brand is

a brand is more than a logo,

more than an ad campaign,

more than a product or service.

it is the reflection of an organization’s purpose.

it is a true, authentic expression of who you are and “why” you exist (other than for making a profit).

a brand should connect emotionally with the audience.

it should make them listen, act and trust.

a brand is a powerful business tool…don’t waste it.

every organization, regardless of size or budget, has access to this business tool, but few use it to its full potential.  

if you have a brand, i don’t mean just a logo, then put it to good use.  if you don’t have a brand, then get one