yourbrandcoach

What is brand coaching?

I'm often asked the question, what is brand coaching?  Here's how I define it -  a synergy of professional coaching models with high-level brand communications process, that helps clients to discover their brand, express their brand and live their brand to it full business potential. 

How does that work? 

A coaching model creates a relationship with clients that engages them in looking at their own brand co-creatively.  Coaching tools and techniques can help people get beyond their linear thinking minds, which is useful for creating and expressing their brand.  Coaching is also about moving into action, specifically moving values into action and living the brand authentically – which is where many brand initiatives fail. 

How is it different than a brand consultant? 

Coaching empowers the client in the branding process – they are really the expert in their own brand – they just may not know it, yet.  It is also the client who has to live the brand every day - and coaching inspires and support that process. And because brand marketing is my background, I can combine coaching with mentoring and strategic consulting depending on my clients needs. 

Iterative marketing... or how on-line tools can help you build your brand...

With google's step-by-step, all under one umbrella on-line marketing tools launched last week, there are some cool on-line tools for helping you get started marketing your brand. They've created a user-friendly test case to walk you through the possibilities.   Find out more about the tools, including a perspective from yourbrandcoach, and today's article in it business   

So how is it iterative?  You can get started using the tools pretty quickly, you can try something, see what's working and tweak it:  choose new keywords, target different customers with a relevant (and resonant, hopefully) message, find a new way to engage potential customers.  I would call that Iterative Marketing - or perhaps, your brand journey.  

Of course you still need to know your brand, and be clear about expressing it. Some of the research and measurement tools will be helpful to small businesses who typically don't engage in market research or have the resources to measure marketing results.  The tools are another way for you to get started on knowing and expressing your brand.  

So take the step and start iterating (and building) your brand!

does your brand resonate?

One of the questions that is often asked about a brand - is it relevant to the customers?  It's an important and valid question. And I like to think there's a deeper and even more important question - does your brand resonate with your customers?

Why?  Relevance is an objective, intellectual, observable measure of a brand's position with a customer. It's rational and logical. And important to know.   

Resonance is the emotional, vibrational, sensational connection to the customer. Harder to measure, admittedly, and even more important for the success of your brand.

Resonance is like music, when you're on their wavelength, customers they will feel the rhythm and tones in your brand. If your brand resonates, then you have a greater chance of truly connecting with your customers - and thereby building a relationship between them and your brand.

So how can you know if you have brand resonance, or build brand resonance?  It's the emotional connection.  Do your clients believe your brand connects with who they are? with their values? with what's important to them?   Start by exploring these questions. You may find some interesting answers that can clarify for you just how your brand resonates? 

 

3 new clients in two hours...

Sounds incredible - and - for my 'brand coach on call' service client it was true... permit me to share this story...it's the kind of story we all like to have in our business: someone who worked with us and got results! ... 

"My background up till six years ago was in high tech. I was an IT consultant, the CIO of Sony Canada, a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and finally a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded four companies (and sold two of them, with the third now a leading supplier in the Insurance software solutions field.)

I first used Cheryl’s branding services to focus my thinking and messaging re my third startup. I put together what I thought were pretty good marketing, branding and PR ideas and materials. Cheryl took those ideas and materials and created a totally different – and hugely more compelling – story for the company. Both my partner and our clients strongly endorsed the new ‘image’ of the company.

Three years ago I followed my passion and chose a new vocation, as a coach to businesses, relationships and individuals. Recently I created a marketing message to solicit clients, to support me in a Certification program I will commence next month. Once again I asked Cheryl to give me her valuable insights. And once again she brought in her marketing and branding magic. I adopted her extensively revised content almost verbatim. This new marketing pitch garnered me three new clients almost immediately. And a fourth started her reply with “This time you've captured my attention!” And another "What a difference!  I hadn't deleted the old one, but I hadn't sent it to anyone yet - this one I've sent to a bunch of people.  Good luck!"

I can’t endorse Cheryl’s expertise, professionalism and wonderful energy in too strong terms." Ilan Levy, MBA, CMC, CPCC

do you have a story like this about your brand? if you do, skip to the next paragraph.  if you don't, then ask for it.  you can ask customers directly one-to-one or you can use an on-line survey tool, like survey monkey  to gain stories.

what can you do with the story?  first it will help you 'know your brand', by giving you insights about what your customers value about your brand. then you could use it to 'express your brand' in marketing materials. and you could use it to 'live your brand' through self-motivation (and we can all use a little of that these days:-), inspiring your staff, or deepening your relationship with customers...

love your brand^tm

small business and brand... insights from yourbrandcoach

In 2008, in partnership with Hewlett-Packard, i consulted on the design of the first ever survey of small businesses and brand in Canada.  There were some interesting findings and some thoughts for small businesses that i share in this video interview on CanadaOne

don't print that brochure yet...

it happens regularly. someone i know has a brochure or flyer for their small business or workshop or a web page and they send it to me for quick guidance.  why? well, they want a second opinion. and they call on me to make sure their communication piece is working as hard as it can for them.  i use a combination of coaching and branding skills to help them make their communications reflect who they are and what they're up to, in a way that will ring true to their potential customers.

so, i started thinking, perhaps i could offer this focussed coaching service to other small businesses who can't afford to hire an ad agency, but could use some support for their brand communications. 

are you a small business on a small brand budget? are you doing it yourself? are you ready to put your best face forward to your potential customers?  do you want an experienced, fresh perspective on your brand communications? 

yourbrandcoach on call is a unique 2nd opinion service for small businesses.  you email us your draft brochure or flyer or web page. we review it and give you a minimum of 2, and up to 5 concrete recommendations on how to improve it, for a fee of $250. 

you'll make your investment of time and money in communications work harder for you and ring truer to your customers. it's as simple as sending an email

is brand a destination or a journey?

Once upon a time, we all thought of brand as a logo and/or a tag line... that was the destination: the golden arches; the nike swoosh - just do it.  And indeed, they are so memorable because they captured the essence of the brand and expressed it in a way we could connect with.  For most brands, large or small, that pinnacle destination was what we meant, and still mean, by branding. I beg to differ.

Try thinking of your brand as a journey... one that may find one or more of those pinnacle destinations over its lifetime - and - one that keeps evolving.  The real work, and satisfaction, of branding lies in the ongoing journey of your brand. As I see the journey, there are three steps, which keep on happening over and over. Let me explain.  

Step one - knowing your brand is about creating and discovering the essence of the brand - its values, and specifically what makes it unique. Do you know how your customers, and your people, are perceiving your brand?  Like a person, there can be many dimensions of knowing your brand, especially as experienced over time.  Your brand remains core to its values, and also it will evolve with new values and new dimensions as it interacts with the world around it.

Step two - expressing your brand Expressing the brand is a milestone destination - a brilliant logo that represents your brand's essence and a compelling tag line that resonates with your customers. And these too, can evolve over time. Customers change, offerings change, social and business environments change and therefore the expression of your brand must change to stay in relationship with its customers. A brand makeover, perhaps. 

Which brings me to the third leg of the brand journey, Step three - Living your brand.  Truly, your brand is a co-creation with your customer - created with each interaction of the brand and the customer.  Is your entire business honouring and living your brand? Be certain that each customer experience with your business will either build your brand or detract from your brand. 

So how do you go on your brand journey?  As someone said, a coach asks simple questions, so that clients come up with brilliant answers.  So ask a few questions - ask yourself what you know, express and live about your brand today. Ask your staff and customers about your brand.  What values would they say your brand stands for? What do they see as unique about your brand? How does your business express and live your brand, in their eyes and experience? 

 

And if you could use a gps on your brand journey, let's dialogue about it.