I am an ardent fan of brevity. I believe in keeping things simple and keeping things short. This is because the attention span of the consumer these days is extremely short. We have become accustomed to getting what we need very quickly. We want information and we want it fast. The subject of branding and positioning is worthy of a shelf full of books. In keeping with my philosophy of keeping things simple and short, I will keep this article very simple and very short. This is particularly important when discussing the subject of branding and positioning, as you shall see.

Your Brand

Your company's brand is not only important, it could be said that it is of primary importance. Your brand is the face you will show to the world. It is your identity. It is your company. It is your product. It is you.
Brand development and management is key to developing that all important first impression. It is also the
key to developing that all important trust in you and your product or service. It helps create long term
relationships with your clients. The brand creates an indelible impression upon the minds of clients, customers and potential clients and customers. Now I will say three words:

Just Do It

Who did you think of when you heard these words? Let's try another:

I'm Lovin It

See what I mean?

A brand is an indelible stamp upon the mind of the public. It is urgent that you develop a brand and a
branding statement. This allows you to carve out a niche in the mind of the public. Brands do not
necessarily have to be linked to a company; individual branding is just as important if you wish to
experience success as a provider of services or products.

Your brand sets you apart from the crowd. It establishes your place in the overall whole. The branding
statement, on the other hand, allows for instant recall of you and your brand. It allows you to build a
reputation and it allows you to firmly establish your place as an expert; and expert that can be trusted to
deliver what you promise.

In the world of Internet marketing, branding is crucial to your success. Now, if you own the only plumbing
store in a small village and your nearest competition is 20 miles away, branding might not be so crucial.
But here, in this virtual world in which we now live, every one of your competitors resides just a simple click away. The entire world sits on the desktop of your potential buyer. There are millions of competitors for that dollar. In the age of Information Overload, one can be forgotten very quickly as our potential customer clicks, clicks and clicks some more.

The brand and the branding statement establish your position. Now it is urgent that you understand that
this position is NOT your position in the marketplace. It is your position in the MIND OF YOUR POTENTIAL CLIENT. It allows you to carve out a piece of real estate in the mind of your potential buyer that is uniquely yours and belongs to no other person or company. This position should be very focused.
Never try to be all things to all people. As a provider of products and services, we want to do business with everyone on the planet, certainly, but this will not do in regards to developing your position. A position focuses on one key area or aspect of that potential client base - think niche.

The goal? When our potential clients think of their problem or concern, we want them to immediately think of our brand. We hope to have them link the brand to the concern.

Getting Started

So how does one establish a brand and a branding statement? You must start by asking four key
questions:

1. Who am I?
2. What do I do?
3. How do I do this better than my competition?
4. What solutions do I provide and for whom?

A branding statement might be said to be similar to an elevator speech. Your branding statement should be short, powerful and deliver your entire company's message in as few words as possible. We want them to remember that statement. Here is an example:

XYZ Accounting provides powerful accounting solutions in record time to small to medium size service
businesses.

Here is an example of the accompanying branding statement:

XYZ Accounting - Powerful Solutions In Record Time

Now the brand and the branding statement do not provide ALL the details but instead concentrate on the
primary message you wish to convey to that niche. The actual details are provided elsewhere. Don't try to
provide a pitch here either. The key is to keep it simple, short, very powerful and easy to remember.
In the above branding statement, we learn that XYZ provides solutions outside the realm of the ordinary
and they do so in record time. Let's look at another:

Jones Landscaping - Creative Solutions For The Budget Conscious

This tells us that this company provides landscaping solutions that could be said to be outside the every
day, run of the mill solutions others provide, and that they will do it for less money than the competition.

Developing The Statement

This statement, once developed, should be used in nearly every communication you have with those
potential clients. It should be on your letter head, business cards, advertisements, website - everywhere. It should be the first thing your potential clients hear when they encounter you and it should also be the last thing your potential clients hear when they encounter you. The idea here is to burn this into the brain of those potential clients in that very focused niche.

To begin to develop your brand and your branding statement, begin by asking the four questions listed
above.

1. Who Am I?
What experience or qualifications do you have? Always be honest here. Don't stretch the truth. The idea is to build trust with your branding statement. This will not happen if you lie. Don't say 'We are the best
accounting firm in the world' if this is not true. Using this type of statement will accomplish the opposite
goal - people will instantly brand you as a liar.

2. What Do I Do?
This should be a broad but very brief synopsis of what you provide for the potential buyer or client.

3. How Do I Do This Better Than The Competition?
Are you faster? Cheaper? More creative? More focused? Remember, be completely honest. Be prepared
to back up your claim. If you cannot back up the claim, do not use it.

4. What Solutions Do I Provide And For Whom?
When developing a brand and a branding statement, do not center this on you - center this squarely on the CLIENT AND THE CLIENT'S PROBLEMS. Think like that client. What problems does the client have? How can you offer the solution to the client's problem? Really jump into the client's shoes here.

The Branding Statement

All of this must now be condensed into a single, powerful phrase.

Use the following statement as a guide to developing your BRAND. Fill in the blanks with the answers to
the above questions:

'___________' provides '____________' to '_______________'for/by/through '_________________'

In other words:

'NAME' provides 'SERVICE' to 'TARGET CLIENTS' for/by/through 'METHOD'

'Smith & Company offers high end, quality furniture to the public for a very low price'

From this, we develop the branding statement:

'Smith & Company - Quality Furnishings, Small Investment'.

Here we used the word 'quality'. We did not use the word ‘best’. We also used the word 'small', as this is a relative term and we used the word 'investment' instead of 'cost' or 'price'. This draws a different picture in the mind of the client.

Let's do one more . . .

'NAME' provides 'SERVICE' to 'TARGET CLIENTS' for/by/through 'METHOD'

Brand:

'The Jones Rare Books Company sells rare, hard to find books to collectors at a fair price'

From this, we develop the branding statement:

'Jones Rare Books - Find Them All With A Single Call'

Of course, all of this could be said a hundred different ways. Just remember - keep it very short, very snappy and tell the entire story in a single phrase.

Take the time to develop a branding statement and begin to use it. Like everything else in marketing,
establishing this position in the mind of the potential customer or client will take work and time. Once developed, simply use this statement in every communication, in every exchange you have with the public.

Soon, when your prospective client thinks of their problem or concern, they will think of your brand - as the solution.

Posted by Don McCauley