Back to Basics: What is YOUR Definition of Marketing?

When I give someone an overview of what I do, I typically use an explanation based on the definition supplied by the Marketing 101 college textbooks. However, if the person hasn't taken Marketing 101 in college (and I'm sure many haven't, or it's been awhile!), I initially get a vaguely interested but puzzled look. It usually isn't until about 5 minutes of discussion when comprehension actually sinks in -- and that's where the interest begins.

I don't think I'm bad at explaining myself. Quite the contrary! However, in our ADD, 500mph society, I'm still striving to find the succinct explanation that encompasses the real breadth of marketing -- and how that helps small and medium businesses -- within a 30-second commercial.

It's almost impossible, because there's so much.

I think everyone in business should take Marketing 101, because it's really the basis for any company, small or large! Without the basic understanding of how the 5P's interconnect and how they're pertinent to get any product or service to the marketplace, you'll fall short.

First of all, let's talk about the actual definition of marketing, because if you ask 5 different people what marketing is, you'll very typically get 5 different responses. So, let's start at the definition resource, Mirriam Webster, and take a look at their definition:

Marketing: An aggregate of functions involved in moving goods (or services) from producer to consumer.

Pretty broad, huh?

Typically, when I do a presentation about the marketing puzzle, this is how I start. I ask several people in the audience about their personal definition of marketing, and then I show them this one. It's usually pretty eye-opening.

Because contrary to what many believe, marketing isn't just an ad, logo, promotion, Website, news release, launch event, or Facebook page. It's much, much more than that -- and thinking it's "fluff," something expendable, or something that doesn't need a lot of focus will hurt any company, small or huge.

It's the heartbeat of any organization, feeding oxygen and vigor to all functions throughout!

So, let's get back to the basics. The marketing model used to be based on the 4 P's; today, they're the 5 P's (thanks to today's socially based society, adding "People" to the mix):

• Product (or service)
  
• Price
• Place (or distribution)
• Promotion
• People

I'm going to dive right in! Though I'm going to cover all 5 of these over the next several weeks, I'll just start right with good ol' number 1:

Product (or Service) - Know Thyself
Today, I'm focusing on the first of the 5 P's: Product (or Service). Seems simple, right? Many people get into business to do something they're good at, and/or to do something they enjoy. And it's true: These two elements are crucial. However, there's much more to what you offer than that.

When you're starting or expanding a business, first you should do a little bit of market research. Why, you ask? You just know your product is the best? That may be; however, before you're even out of the gate, there are many things you should consider. You can do a lot of the research yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. However you do it, you need to understand not just what you think, but more importantly, what your target market thinks:

• Is there an adequate market for this product/service in the current world? You might be the best darn portable typewriter repair person in the world, but how many people have typewriters today? If you're set on repairing typewriters, is there possibly a market with antique shops, or something similar? I can't tell you how many companies have failed because they had a great product or service, but no market, or one too small to sustain the company.
  
  
• Do you have competition, and if so, how are they perceived? There's something to say about the terms "Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies (aka Competition) Closer." Are they perceived as the best? Worst? Why? What do they do that's good to replicate, or good to avoid? Learn from their mistakes... and their successes!
  
  
• Why is your product/service better than the competition, and does the target market perceive it that way? In marketing, this is called your differential or competitive advantage. Make a list, because these will be your key message points for your target market. If you don't have these, CREATE THEM! How? Find a way to make your product/service different and better than the others. Create a new niche, approach, or packaging. Change the playing field. Do something that will make you stand out above the others competing in the same space... or, simply create your own space. How do you think Baskin Robbins took the corner on the ice cream market? Or Ben & Jerry's?
  
  
• How should this product/service be packaged? Sometimes, your packaging can be a differentiator. It can store better, stack better, fit better (as a product), or be more convenient, easier to use (as a service)... the list goes on and on. Find out what people think. Try it out in real life situations.

Knowing the answer to these questions is the basis for your business plan, as well as the brand and messaging your company develops. At the end of the day, what's most important is communication between you and your target market... and if you don't even know the answer to the questions above, you're starting out with 2 strikes against you!

Coming up next... Where, oh where does my product(/service) go out? Oh where, oh where should it be?

If a Blog is Posted in the Forest, and No One Reads It...

Blogging about blogging. Isn't that funny, sort of like dreaming about dreaming (I hate that, a dream inside of a dream), singing about singing, or writing about writing? Well, I guess it's been done. And though there are just so many gurus out there saying "Blog, blog, BLOG!" They don't really talk about the marketing side of it. So I guess I'm taking that part on, myself.

When I talk to clients and/or colleagues about blogging, I often become their driver. I push them to get that first blog done, and then I push them to market it. And though both can be tough, depending on the person/company, it seems the hardest part is making sure that once they blog it, they promote it! From a marketing perspective, the biggest mistake is taking the time to craft your blog, and then not getting the word out.

Market it, you ask? Isn't a blog more like "Build it, and they will come"? Not so. However, there are many, many people who think that once they post a blog to the WWW, they're automatically and magically "out there," and they don't have to do anything else.

Boy, I wish it all worked that way!

First, let's talk about the basics of blogging. Creating a blog is very similar to creating a Website, but there's one major difference: With a Website, you're speaking to the masses; with a blog, you're having a conversation. When someone is starting a blog, I always tell them, "Make pretend you're sitting across the table from me, having a conversation, and then WRITE IT THAT WAY." A great example I have about this is my friend Ann, who sells Arbonne. She is passionate about the products she sells; I've been working with her over the past several months to get her started in the social media world. When you first look at her writing, you might think it's a little choppy, but take my word, if you read it out loud, infused with a southern accent, and talk at about 75mph, you totally get the way she talks, and I love it! She's a perfect example of writing exactly the way she speaks. I can actually hear her voice when I read it, and it's completely infused with her personality. Take a look: http://annmckenzie.wordpress.com.

In this forum, it's ok to be more folksy and conversational, since blogs create "the voice" of a company (however, proper grammar and spelling is still important). It's the best way to come down from the ivory tower of corporate-speak and messaging - though both are still very necessary in developing a brand - and have a conversation directly with your target market! Just ten years ago, it was not a priority to create "a voice" for any company, it was all about messaging around the product or service. Today, creating a voice is almost as important as the product or service itself. When you add blogging to your marketing mix, don't look at it as a chore. It's an opportunity to directly infuse your customers with the passion you have for what you do!

OK, so you've blocked off a spot in your already impossibly busy business owner schedule with a regularly allotted time to write your blog. You've infused your passion into your writing, you've written a wonderful blog, and you posted it.

Now what?

This is where many tend to fail, because that's where the effort stops. You need to communicate about it.

This is the typical issue with marketing, in companies small and large alike. You can have the most beautifully designed Website, but with no search engine optimization and no communication about it, you might as well not even bother creating it in the first place. Same thing with wonderful, creative direct mail pieces, award-winning advertisements, you name it -- it's not just the creation, but the execution afterwards that makes a difference between getting no response and a windfall.

It's the same as that tree falling in the forest.

So now you have a blog up there. In reality, so what? There are millions of blogs out there today, a google of Websites, and just noise, noise, noise. The goal: Rise above the noise -- not to everyone, but to your target market and your customers.

The key is to treat your blog as an ongoing event, not an end result! When you post, use it as an excuse to communicate with your mailing list, and also post it everywhere you go online -- Facebook, Twitter, and local social media sites are a start! Can you submit your blog to Technorati? Reddit? Digg? Absolutely! However, for those of you reading this who say, "Techno-what-i?" That's OK, too. Start with baby steps. Begin with an e-mail to your list, highlighting your topic, providing a link (always provide a link - don't assume the reader already knows it!), and asking them to forward it on to anyone they know who might be interested (thus came the term "viral marketing"). Post the link where you can... and also make sure you list your blog's URL along with your Website (even if it's an extension of your Website's URL) on EVERYTHING, even your online business listings, business cards, brochures, and invoicing. Noone can read it if they don't know about it! You can build a promotion around it, solicit publicity around it - be creative! But see what I mean, when I say it can be treated as an event? Remember the term I used, about "conversation"? Usually, a conversation consists of two or more people; if you don't communicate what you've written, then you just have a monologue. You might as well be sitting in an empty room, talking to the walls, for how effective it will be. In some instances, that's OK; but it's not the purpose of blogging.

I know that often, the holdup is the need to clean up that e-mail list and put it into some type of e-mail system like Constant Contact or iContact. What a great excuse to get it done! If you don't have a good system in place, it's an indicator that you're not talking to your audience enough, anyway, so get it all in shape!

That's it. Simply, really, just often forgotten. I just hate when someone spends their valuable time creating a blog - a real gem of communication vehicle - and then it sits there online, unheard and unseen. So get started, and make sure the falling tree is heard - by who matters the most to you and your company!

Makeshift Marketing and the Grocery Bill

I'm anal about food shopping. My husband and I decided long ago to bring our kids up in a healthy environment -- natural and organic when possible, with as few preservatives and chemicals as possible (no hydrogenated fats, no high fructose corn syrup, yadda, yadda, yadda). However, I also have to balance those expectations with our budget, so I'm always trying to make sure we get the best bang for our buck when we go! When we first started out with this goal, we really only had one choice, a higher end grocery chain that only does natural and organic. And we had a really high grocery bill. But over the past 5 years, as other stores have gotten on the natural and organic bandwagon, our choices have increased tenfold, to include not just specialty, but lower cost specialty stores, general grocery stores, and even wholesale clubs. So I strategize the shopping efforts, taking into consideration many elements... I know who has our favorite items and at what prices, what we need to get, what time we have to do it, and I plan out my shopping excursions accordingly.

However, this grocery shopping mania is all fueled by that single, overarching goal: to eat healthy (while doing it as economically as possible), and provide a healthy environment in which our kids can blossom.

As the tactical elements of marketing have greatly evolved over the past decade, there are more vendors than ever before in niche areas that can do a bang-up job in their specialty. Often, any venue where different businesses meet (such as Chamber of Commerce and professional network meetings) show a rainbow of companies, each with their own area of specialization, including:

• Graphics/design
• Web design/development
• Promotional items
• Social media management
• Event management
• Printing
• Direct marketing/database/customer relationship management

There's nothing wrong with that. Specializing usually means that they REALLY FOCUS in on that particular element, and can be pretty efficient at it. However, what often happens is that the small- or medium-sized business owner, wearing too many hats, is all too happy to just pass off each element to the handful of different vendors, thinking that the specialty of the vendors will allow smooth sailing when it comes to implementation of each element.

That may be the case. However, what's missing from this picture is often continuity, and the realization of the overarching business/marketing goal(s) of the company. Sometimes, we get so caught up in today's To Do list and obsessed about checking off the items on that list that we forget to focus on quality and the big picture -- and to impart the big picture to each vendor -- so the result is often a handful of professionally developed items that, though they may be wonderful in their own right, don't serve the purpose the business needs them to serve.

How could you go food shopping without a goal behind it? You might not have the same goal as mine, but there's always a goal -- be able to nourish yourself/the family, with a multitude of different supportive goals underneath (such as within a budget, within a certain distance, and/or to be done in the least time possible). So why, then, would you create the "face" of your company -- which is what all of these elements create -- without a goal behind that?

Before any tactical marketing elements are developed, you must think out and develop your marketing goals. Questions to ask will include:

• What is the vision for my business today and over the next 1-3 years?
• What is the target market(s), and who are they?
• How do I want that/those target markets to perceive my business and me (which translates into what message do I want them to get about my company)?
• What is the differential/competitive advantage that my company has to that/those target market(s)?

I always spend a good chunk of time speaking with a business owner about these 4 things before recommending or implementing any marketing strategy. Once that's done, it's usually a LOT easier to determine a) which tactical elements to use, and b) how each should be used. However, there have been plenty of times when someone comes to me and says, "I spent a lot of money and did this ________(fill in the blank: Website, mailer, promotion, brochure, tradeshow, or any other item from the pick list), and it really hasn't done anything for my company. Why not, and what else can I do?" So usually, I ask them the four questions above, and if this was all considered before deciding on the _________. Usually, the answer is no -- or if it's yes, I ask if they communicated that with the person who did it (and that's usually a no, unless they just used their neighbor's teenage kid to do it for them, and then I always say, "You get what you pay for!").

If you don't yet know the answer to those questions, then you shouldn't be, say, developing a Website -- because it might be a nice Website in the end, but if it's set up without a specific purpose to your business, then it's just a Website that doesn't do anything for your company, and it's a waste of time, money, and effort. But in our overcommitted world today, it happens more times than not in many small and medium (and I will even venture to say large) businesses. Also, after a period of time (such as 6 months or a year), you should go back and reconsider all of those four questions, and see if they're the same, because as your business evolves, so should your answer to them.

Back to my earlier point: If you have no goals for food shopping, then you might just walk into a sporting goods store and wonder why you can't find the cereal! Our goal -- to bring up our kids in a healthy environment -- hasn't changed. However, one of the underlying goals we have has changed -- we're much more cost-conscious today than we were 5 years ago, so we have a tighter budget. However, there are also more options today than 5 years ago that allow us to accomplish our big goal while also addressing the little one! Though this has made our food shopping efforts more complex, and we do often go to multiple stores instead of just one (depending on the week and other even smaller goals at the time), we're happy with the end result.

As you should be, too.

Marketing and Sales: Bickering Siblings, But Definitely Not Twins!

Before I left my corporate job, I had a bunch of comics and jokes hanging up in my office about the dissonance between the sales and marketing departments, based on the fact that within the large corporate environment, there always seems to be tension between the two.

Huh, you ask? Aren't sales and marketing one and the same? Aren't they usually the same department? Well, actually, no -- especially in larger organizations. Maybe in the beginning, when the company is up and coming, sales and marketing are combined. But eventually, they're usually split apart -- at least to some extent -- because they play very different (though complementary) roles in the development and success of the company, and both require very different skill sets and personality types to be successful in their individual roles.

As my entire corporate career was always in marketing and never sales, the contrast is clear to me. However, this isn't the case for many; in fact, because there are instances where the terms "sales" and "salesperson" has received a sleazy, dishonest connotation, it seems that somewhere, someone thought up the use of "marketing representative" or "marketing executive" to replace "salesperson" because it might seem more legitimate and would get more people to pay attention. The result of this? Even more confusion, and the mistaken assumption that the terms "sales" and "marketing" are interchangeable. And though expertise in each area overlaps in some ways, they are, for the main part, very different.

So, you ask, what are the differences? Here's the way I've always seen it, plain and simple:

Both marketing and sales are based heavily in different types of psychology. People often don't realize that a truly successful marketing or sales professional is in many ways a psychologist. The main difference is that the marketing professional specializes in the psychology of perception and intention, whereas the sales professional specializes in the psychology of decision and action. Therefore, the functions of each are typically built around those very different types of psychology.

Do you see the complement? I've often explained that it's because of each area's focus on different psychologies that marketing is often seen as a command control type of function, and sales is often seen as the front line type of function -- and one wouldn't be fully successful without the other!

The marketing professional develops the brand -- largely the perception -- of the organization, product, and/or service. They conduct market research in many different forms, find out who the target customer is, what the target customer wants/expects, and how the organization, product, and/or service needs to be packaged, priced, where/when it should be offered, and with what features and benefits. Then they progress into the development of that package -- from actual pricing and packaging itself to developing key messaging, communication and visual tools (including Website, presentations, and social media development). Finally, marketing communicates and delivers this "package" to its target audience, via different media and a variety of different relevant campaigns. Marketing monitors the progression of these programs, solicits and records feedback on acceptance and sales levels, and adjusts the efforts as needed for success.

The professional salesperson is first and foremost the eyes and ears of the organization. They're the front line -- out there speaking and working directly with the target/existing customer. They know the temperature of the waters firsthand, and are tasked with moving the customers - with their developed perception and intention - into deciding to actually purchase and use the organization's service/product. The salesperson must work to become trusted and respected by the target/existing customer, gain feedback, and also provide the market's perceptions and reactions back to marketing. The better they know the customer, the better they can do their job! A true, successful sales professional will combine their customer knowledge with available marketing research and tools and customize what they have available to each customer, to help move them along and match them up with best offering available for that customer -- thus initiating the purchase and further developing the relationship.

There are many other smaller nuances to differentiate these functions, but that's how I've always seen the big picture. Again, though complementary, they are very different, and typically take very different skill sets! So, a marketing professional might actually have the ability to sell, and the professional salesperson might be good at some of the elements of marketing -- plus, it's advantageous for both to understand the other's job -- but these jobs take entirely different approaches.

And as for the dissonance between the sales and marketing departments -- more often than not, it's mostly bickering, more like siblings than arch enemies. We'd make fun of and "diss" each other, but at the end of the day, the true professionals in the groups understood the partnership needed to make either department -- and the company -- a success!

"Web 2.0"? Where do I get it, and how much is the upgrade?

As a marketer, I hate the term "Web 2.0." It makes me cringe when I see the term used. It was obviously some catchy phrase penned by some technogeeks out of Silicon Valley (not that I have any issues with them!), and at some point, it was dropped into chatter to make it seem like, "Oh, you haven't worked in Web 2.0 yet? You really need to get updated!"

And thus, the spiral marketing went. Does it make that term good? No. Valid? No.

Why, you ask? What's wrong with it? Seems catchy enough, right? Well, it doesn't really describe anything. There have been many times when I've brought up the term with a prospective client or a colleague to feel the waters, and I get a pause and/or a blank stare (and folks, these are VERY smart people who are generally VERY up-to-date in the marketing arena). This catchall phrase seems to have been adopted by those predomininantly in the high tech arena (no surprise there) and has a vague connotation of something important, but what? No explanation.

It makes me want to ask, "How much is the upgrade?"

Here's what bothers me the most: The term implies that it's a one-size-fits-all situation, like anyone can "buy the upgrade," flip a switch, and voila! Web 2.0.

However, that's not the case. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for today's marketing. It's as simple as any seasoned marketer would know, and has known since well before the widespread use of the Internet. That's the challenge of the strategic, smart marketer -- to find the right mix for their product/service/company to hit the right markets at the right time in the right way.

When I explain the integrated use of "Web 2.0" strategy and tactics, I do so in terms of "Web 1.0": Back in the mid- to late-'90s, many companies didn't think that a Website was relevant to them, thinking it was a one-size-fits-all approach. Slowly, that perception changed as different companies realized that the use of the Internet was different, depending on company needs, which grew to include intranets, extranets, and dedicated customer Websites. And today, it's hard to grow a business without some use of the Internet -- even if it's simply having an e-mail address.

Same goes for the advent of social media: Everything is not for everybody! However, remember that today, we are a society/world with ADD: There are so many vehicles of communication that the less you show up, the more easily you will be forgotten! Threading your marketing/communication efforts into relevant social media makes you visibile, current, interested, and interactive -- which many consumers and business require today. There are many different options and many different combinations; inevitably, there are at least a few elements that can be incorporated into marketing strategy to improve visibility and communication with prospective and current customers, regardless of the type/size of company.

Here's a basic one that does apply to many: Blogs. Use them! Do you create and distribute a newsletter to clients and/or prospects? Evolve that: You can make your commentary more current and interactive by blogging your thoughts, sending an e-mail to your list, highlight your topic, and link them back to your blog. It's easy to set one up -- most are free (and/or come with Web hosting packages these days, as well), and it's just the time commitment that you would otherwise be spending on your newsletter.

The use of social media sites such as MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr are valid, animated communities where you can find every target demographic -- you can not only set up community pages within these forums (when relevant), but you can also advertise via pay-per-click, with very specific target demographics. We are in the infancy of the interconnectedness of this media -- and your use and strategy will evolve as the use of the Internet did. So, instead of just thinking, "That's just something that my teenager uses," look a little deeper. Use it yourself -- you'd be surprised at how many people you know are on there! Browse around, look at interest group sites, take in the scenery, and then imagine how you could place yourself in there to raise interest and communication -- the possibilities are endless!

Here are some good articles/examples on the use of social media:

• Barak Obama: The First Social Media President?
• Listening to Conversations About Social Media While Waiting in Line to Vote
• Web 2.0 Measurements in Today's B2B World
• Social Media for Small Business

What's the Guarantee for Branding?

Regardless of the scope or size of a project, with a new client, we're repeatedly posed with the question, "What's your guarantee that this will work?"

Even though we've been in marketing for many years (a good portion of them in B2B, which means that when we were on the corporate side of the fence, we had to fight for and justify -- or overjustify -- every marketing dollar we could get), we're still taken aback by that question, and usually have a moment of incredulity before answering.

And here's the answer to THAT question: In reality, there are no guarantees.

HOWEVER, that's typically not the real answer, because we realize that the potential client with whom we're working REALLY wants to know if it's worth spending the money with us, and if we will deliver what we promise.

And that's always a triple-edged sword. Of course, we'll deliver a high-quality program, high-quality design, intelligent targeting for the client's company/product/service. We will use our collective 35+ years in marketing and communications management to create the best possible progam.

However, at the outset it's often very difficult to directly quantify the benefits derived from something not generally so measurable, such as overall branding. But I try give the person a scenario to think about it:

Suppose you were comparison shopping for a contractor of sorts, and though your goal is to fit into a set budget, you really want to hire someone who knows what they're doing (which always saves money in the long run). However, no one you know has had to hire a similar contractor, so you have no referrals and you have to start "cold." In looking for this contractor, where will you look? Most people start with the Internet today, from doing a simple Google search, to looking in specific directories and even Craigslist. You might look in your local paper, or the phone book, and/or you might even go to a few different physical locations to check out your options. Now, suppose you've seen an ad somewhere for a Company X. Then you see the same company name online, but it has a different address listed. First of all, if there isn't a basic Website linked from a listing, how likely are you to still even consider that company? Many people will just move on to the next company that does have a Website, so they can at least research their basic options.

Now, say that company does have a Website, but the Website looks completely different than the ad, with no consistent look at all -- not even a logo. Are you a little bit unsettled about that? Do you doubt the validity of this company, just a little bit? Do you wonder if it's the same company?

Then, suppose you actually go to the physical location of this prospective contractor, and when you walk up, the sign and displayed materials again look different from the other items you've seen from this company. There's a business card that's completely different from the brochure, and there's just no consistency. Psychologically, people feel a little discombobulated from this. Many will tend to be put off in this situation, because it inadvertently creates a negative perception of that company -- even if each individual item looks professional, there's no consistency, which in turn can create the perception of inconsistent, unfocused work by that company. And so you leave, even though you've never spoken a word with anyone.

And there. That company has now lost a customer, one they never even knew existed, because they haven't developed a cohesive brand for their company.

So how's that for quantification?

In today's world of prepackaged, templated, "do-it-yourself" items, like laser printer pre-designed business cards and postcards, clipart, and easy-to-post Websites, this problem is a very common one amongst small businesses. Many people think that by using those, they save a buck by doing it themselves. Those items are supposed serve as a temporary fix, on a dime... until something more professional can be done. What tends to be forgotten is the temporary part! Then the business owner moves on to the day-to-day of managing his/her own business and minimizes the importance of developing the brand and what the business represents.

It's amazing how many psychological studies have shown that people feel better about choosing a consistently, well-branded company, regardless of the company size or price level of their product/service. That's a basic necessity of a business, from the gate... though it will and does change and evolve as the company grows and evolves. However, even though it's one of the most needed and important items for a small business, it's often an area that receives the least attention... and budget. And in the long run, it can cost the company far more than the initial relatively small investment it takes to create the brand that's going to bring people in the door.

5 Tips for Branding Your Organization

Do you know how your target customers, prospects, and/or donors see you, your product/service/cause, and your company as a whole? Do you have a formal vision for how you want them to see you?

Every perception of your company - whether it's by your customers, prospects, competitors, or your employees - is vital to your success, no matter what your company's size!

In my corporate past, there were many times when I felt like banging my head against the wall, because even though often I was part of a large, established company, I constantly faced huge challenges in implementing and "policing" the brand; many employees had never had any training on company branding, and just thought it all stopped at the boundaries of marketing and communications activities. So I would ask them things like, "When you go to a company and get poor customer service, what do you think when you walk away? If the company has the smoothest, most beautiful logo and the best, catchiest tagline, do you think that the way they treat you is unimportant? How about the quality of the product/service? If it falls apart the first time you use it, do you think the company represents with high quality?" It took an inordinate amount of time and effort to continually educate everyone inside the company that the meaning of branding isn't just marketing and communications, it's also operations, customer service, sales, and even human resources and employee satisfaction!

That's why I find it funny when the leadership of any company, whether a small startup or one of the Fortune 500, says that they're "not marketers." OK, I might give them that to some degree if it's not their background, but I would never take that they're not branders! I went out on a limb and started a small company of my own 2.5 years ago (an organic herb nursery), and knew that everything I did from the time I started in the morning to when I was finished at night - how my plants were treated, the condition in which I sold them, the way I interacted with customers - were all a part of the brand I was creating; not just my logo and company colors!

As I've had the fortunate experience of working with large, global companies as well as tiny, local ones, here's a quick checklist to keep in mind when thinking about the face (or brand) of your company/organization, regardless of its size:

1. Everything and every part of your company/organization - that's right, everything - is part of your brand. Many people think that a brand is simply a logo and a tagline; not so! Branding is also the product, the packaging, the pricing, where your product/service/cause is present and available, customer service, even the way you treat your customers, and employees. And everyone who works for you and with you, whether they know it or not, are stewards of your brand at one point or another.
   
2. You must actually sit down and think about what you want your brand to be, and what you want it to represent to your target market(s). How do you want your customers and prospects to perceive you? Do you want to be the highest quality, the best technology, the most humane, the best in service? You can't achieve everything, so you must choose what it is you want to achieve in terms of perception and branding, because everything will stem from that. You must also look at things realistically; can you achieve the perception you want?
   
3. Everyone involved with your company's operations, including all employees (and even vendors), must be trained on branding, and how they're a part of it. A lot of brand inconsistencies tend to happen because the employees aren't educated to understand what the company is supposed to represent, and how their role - every last employee of the company, from the receptionist all the way up to the CEO - is a part of that brand. Regular training, including the importance of consistency and the reasoning behind the organization's operational direction, is key for this kind of understanding.
   
4. Consistency is key. It takes time to establish a brand; the more consistent the presentation, the faster the brand will be understood and expected. True, a company can change its established branding, but that's usually due to expansion, growth, and evolvement, and is best done gradually, over a period of time. However, repeatedly changing an organization's branding or the portrayal of conflicting or disparate presentations of a company leads to confusion and defeats any branding efforts altogether.
   
5. Find out if it's working on a regular basis. The best pulse monitor you can have on your brand efforts is through testing perception with your customers, prospects, and/or donors. Do some research! There are many options here, from focus groups to interviews or simple questionnaires. What better way can you find out if they're getting the picture you're trying to convey?

These are definitely the immutable basics on developing and implementing your brand! If you practice them from the very beginning, and make sure the importance of branding is communicated throughout your organization, you'll be five steps ahead of many others out there who seem to miss the boat... and will be more successful in the long run!

-Angela

Books to read on this subject:

22 Immutable Laws of Branding, by Al/Laura Ries
The Brand Gap, by Marty Neumeier