How can entrepreneurs build an extraordinary brand? How do you develop a brand that helps you build an extraordinary brand experience? Or are you thinking: Does breakthrough branding really apply to my organization; we create incredible products and services?

Last week we talked about who you need to be to succeed, this week we share a secret that many entrepreneurs do not really believe. Your brand is as important to your business as you are. Many times they are one and the same. 

I’ve worked with many well-known brands over the years from Apple to Microsoft, Siemens and Progressive Insurance to Berkshire Hathaway. I’ve been involved in startups that have become multi-billion dollar businesses. If you’re in business today, you need to build a successful brand as your organization grows. The key is to know what you want your position in the market to be. Then allow your brand to evolve as you continue growing.

Creating the best marketing and brands require successful execution on the brand’s key benefits to your target market. How many times have you gone in to buy something, or maybe even bought it, only to discover the product or service doesn’t match the hype.

Today’s great brands and, by extension, their leaders, understand execution is where the brand must excel in a connected age. Bad brand experiences kill even the best organizations very quickly. Let me see if I can get you thinking differently about your brand. Don’t worry, over the next several blogs I share good examples to help you better understand how you can apply them to your own marketing efforts.

I have several questions I want to share with you today and then over the next several blogs, I help you adapt and apply what I share to your organization.

• Does your brand match what you are trying to achieve as an organization?

• Does your brand sell a product or service or an extraordinary brand experience?

• Does your brand lead or run against trends?

• Does your brand chase or attract your best clients or customers? Does it repel people who are not your best clients?

• Does your brand handle the details?

• Does your brand share a story? Has your story evolved over the years?

• Does your brand engage and empower the people you want as clients or customers?

• Does your brand support your community? 

In the past, we would do market research to discover the answers to many of these questions. In a connected world, we can do real time observation of how our customers and clients see our brands. Successful brands today are constantly adapting to what is going on in the world today. Are you?

A final thought I would share with you is that with most of my clients I represent the voice of their clients or customers. Many times, my role is to help my clients understand why people buy their product or service. This also means that I have to create a business development system that scales as their organization grows. I’m frequently responsible for co-developing targeted marketing campaigns for clients.

On Thursday this week at Market Leadership Journal I share several ideas on how to develop a better understanding of what you need to know about your best clients and customers.

Successful digital brands are very good at targeting their message to specific people and groups who are generally their best clients or customers. By targeting your brand’s message you can get significantly higher returns on your marketing investments.

Join us on Friday when we discuss these questions in more detail. See you then.