• Home
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact

Lucavìa

~ Small Business Next Level

Lucavìa

Tag Archives: Branding Framework

The Power of the Branding Framework

23 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by Jim Lucas in Branding, Concentrating effort, Management, Shared values

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Branding, Branding Framework, management

Framework
A branding framework, “brand DNA,” or “brand book,” is essential knowledge about who we are as an organization, where we’re headed, and what we stand for. A proper framework invites us to think deeply about our business and then puts us in position to communicate our brand to any audience. Example audiences include internal ones like our employees and managers; external ones like advertising agencies, web developers, and other suppliers; and above all it lets us communicate effectively to our customers, “clients,” or “guests.” A branding framework covers a lot of territory from internal strategic intentions to external marketing messages and, therefore, is one of our organization’s most important documented knowledge.

BRANDING DEFINED

It is very common for people to use the word “branding” and for it to mean different things to different people. It is natural for an advertising agency to say the word branding and for it to mean an ad campaign. To a graphic artist, branding usually means a logo or other symbol they designed. We are going to define branding as something much bigger than an advertisement or a logo. For us, branding is:

The total impact of the organization on our clients and the marketplace.

A brand is composed of hundreds of little fragments of client perception. Our logo, our website, the retail products we carry, the way we dress, our salons’ interiors, the way an individual client was treated by a receptionist and then how she described that to a friend. Every little interaction and every way our clients come into contact with us, our staff and our salons comes together to create an image. It all builds up to create our brand. Stated another way,

Our brand = what we stand for; but not just in our minds: Primarily in the minds of our clients.

WHY A FRAMEWORK?

The most practical reason we want to invest time in creating a branding framework for our organization is because no two people are alike and it is very rare for any two people to describe the same company the same way. The more “technical” reason for our framework is to create continuity in our brand story and to connect all those little fragments of perception in the minds of our clients in just the right way so they choose us instead of our competition. That also goes for attracting talented people who want to come to work for us. They need to know who we are, where we’re going, and what we stand for because we want to work with people who value the same things we value and want to be part of a journey that is bigger than any one of us. Finally, it also goes for those of us currently on the team. We want to make a difference. We want to make our mark. We want all our hard work to mean something and to pay off. Pulling our branding framework together will bring us together in old and new ways.

By taking the time to get clarity about what’s important, to document it in a way that creates a common understanding among us, and then to communicate what we believe to our clients with one voice has the potential to be one of the most powerful things we do.

A Framework for Your Brand

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by Jim Lucas in Branding, Effectiveness, Shared values

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bay Area consultants, Branding, Branding Framework, management, Northern California Consultants

Branding Framework, branding

A Branding Framework defines who you are, what you stand for, and what you will communicate to your customers, team, and partners. There is an old saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, every road will take you there.” A well thought out framework has a beginning, middle, and end—and all the points on the journey are well defined. Starting with anything less increases the risk that you’ll waste time, resources, and money, let alone confuse your customers and fail to inspire your workforce.

A Branding Framework also creates consistency. Consistency is important in the execution of any integrated marketing campaign (where each element of the campaign reinforces and strengthens every other element). And, it serves as the basis for constant iteration and improvement of past and current campaigns.

The key to adopting any framework is to adopt it once: Then pour your energy into execution and continuous improvement. The body of branding knowledge is replete with definitions, counter definitions, and terms that overlap. Our framework addresses what your business needs, and if used consistently, will accelerate the development and strength of your brand.

In the end, the real value comes from what the Branding Framework allows you to accomplish. So, when you find yourself asking, “Why am I putting time and energy into developing this framework?” remember the answers:

  • Create a shared understanding of your values, purpose, and vision
  • Set a strategy that will turn your customers into your brand advocates
  • Increase the power of your brand
  • Drive profitable growth

If you are curious about how to develop a Branding Framework for your business—complete with Statement of Purpose, Vision, Brand Promise, Ideal Client, and much more—please contact me. I would enjoy talking to you about your specific needs and the future of your business.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Drop your address here and receive future posts email.

Recent Posts

  • Two Kinds of Salons
  • Measure Up!
  • Multiply Your Impact

Pages

  • Home
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact

Contact me

(925) 980-7871
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Time, 7 days.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Lucavìa
    • Join 30 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Lucavìa
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...