BRANDING

Branding is the expression of the essential truth or value of your company. Branding begins with understanding the soul of your company. Why are you really in business? Everyone who has their own business is moved by something greater than themselves. It might be about community, it might be for the greater good of humanity, it might simply be sharing some aspect of your life that you find valuable. It's typically something that has a larger story than the actual product or service you are selling. Effective branding is understanding and communicating that story; finding out why you do what you do… what inspires you each day - and then telling that story. That's where branding begins. 

 

MARKETING

Your brand is your promise and marketing is communicating, sharing and delivering on that promise. Branding is at the core of your marketing strategy, so branding must come first. Once you understand the soul of your company and have your brand, the next step is to share your brand with the larger community. Marketing does just that; it takes it to the next level and shares your brand with the larger community. And how large is that community? It's really up to you... but there is no limit to who you can reach and how far your reach can extend. Marketing is all about telling a story – and even more importantly – finding your story. No matter what your budget or your resources, what makes marketing work and what makes it effective is having the will, imagination, creativity, and ingenuity to figure out how to get your story in front of your audience. 

 

COMMUNICATION

Effective brand communication involves understanding your target audience, addressing the core values of your company, and telling your story. All of your marketing efforts will fall short if you are unable to craft a message and effectively communicate that message in a way that articulates what you’re about and what you are selling. As far as the consumer is concerned, your messaging is only one very small bit in a world of constant communications saturated with advertising, blogs, social media, and every other attempt at communication. It's less about pushing a message at consumers, and much more about engaging them in conversation.