Find Your Big Idea
Branding is about finding your big idea and building your identity and
game plan around it.
The bottom line: if you can’t explain who you are and the value you
bring to your company and clients in a short sentence or two, you have work to do.
Soft Power Rules
There are the objective things: your credentials, the schools you
went to, your years of experience, your skill set, the job titles you
held. Let’s call this hard power.
Then there’s soft power: your image and reputation, your visibility in the marketplace, the ideas and leadership associated with you, your network
of contacts, supporters and mentors. In today’s competitive marketplace, soft power plays a vital role in attracting people to you and your company.
The Aroma of a Strong Brand Idea
Nothing beats a killer idea. A product that intrigues people. A service that gets a pesky job done well. A company with a compelling esprit de corps. A person that stands for something relevant and needed in the marketplace.
Branding is about finding your big idea and creatively attaching it to a product or company or yourself. The bottom line: if you can’t explain your business idea in a short sentence or two that wows people, you need to go back to the drawing board.
A Full-Bodied Brand Persona
In many ways, brands are like people. And people are like brands. Something you can describe with a brand personality and personal style, with lifestyle preferences and proclivities.
That’s why part of brand development is creating a brand personality or brand persona. It helps in making all kinds of branding and marketing decisions, from the name to the logo design, from website graphics to its content, from product design and to the way your package a brand
Find Out More
Catherine Kaputa is a brand strategist, author and speaker on branding for people, products and companies. Contact us if you'd like Catherine Kaputa to speak at your organization or work on a strategic branding project for yourself, your company or start-up.
212.662.4734
catherinekaputa@gmail.com
copyright SelfBrand LLC 2008
