TRANSCRIPTION:
Hi. Today, I want to talk to you about some brand building blunders you should avoid. The first one is remembering your logo is not your brand. Common mistake people make that they think this logo, this is my brand. Your brand is really your reputation and the amount of visibility you have for that reputation.
The second one is thinking…like taking a brand that’s not actually true. You can’t actually deliver on your brand promise. For example, you may say, “We have the best people,” but your people are actually like many firms’ people. You’ve got some good ones and some that aren’t so much.
So, don’t make a brand promise you can’t live. The third one is the opposite of that really, is don’t sell yourself short. On the other hand, you could be a little bit aspirational. If you’re becoming a leading firm, don’t be afraid of it. Go for something that you can aspire to. The fourth one is using an old-style identity, and we see this sometimes where a firm, like, “I’m so proud of my logo.I came up with it in 1981 and it hasn’t changed a bit.”
So, maybe you should think about what’s the impression you want to have. Do you still wear clothes from the 1980s, you know? The fourth one is me-too marketing. And what we mean by me-too marketing is you’re doing something just because someone else did it. You say, “Look at that brand. These three competitors all have brands like this.I’m going to do something like that, too.”
Perhaps in the mistake and belief it’s safe. It’s actually a very risky thing to do. Number six is to get all jammed up with jargon. In other words, using too much insider speak, talking about your firm the way you think about it internally. Remember, in most cases, your clients are not a part of your industry, they’re not a part of your profession, and it can be easily confusing for them.
And finally, if you’re chasing the wrong strategy, going after the wrong positioning with the wrong kind of differentiators, you know, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, the faster you run, the worse off you are. So, make sure that you’ve gone through a strategic analysis to get the right positioning for your brand.
Now, if all of this is a little confusing and you want to learn more about it, we’d recommend go to Hinge University and check out the Visible Firm Course. That’s probably the best fit that will help you avoid these branding blunders.
