You don’t own your brand identity. It’s owned by your fans, critics, customers, and constituents. It lives in their hearts and minds—which means it can’t be defined by brute force. A brand is defined by casting a realistic yet aspirational vision of your organization then fulfilling that vision through your products and services. This type of conceptual leadership requires you to be able to proactively articulate who you are and what you do in a clear, concise, and consistent manner.
No one wants to be mischaracterized. But it’s impossible to communicate a full and perfect understanding of who you are in a reasonable amount of time—let alone within the typical span of time print or electronic media allows for. This is why, from a marketing perspective, it is critical to create a clear and simple summation of who you are and what you do.
This summation, or thirty second pitch, may not be what guides your organization internally. It may not even be your mission statement. But it’s the tip of the iceberg to all who interact with you. It’s what each one of your employees should be able to articulate.
After all, if your own organization can’t consistently articulate who you are and what you do, how can you expect your customers, clients, and constituents to do so?
So, how do you go about solidifying your brand identity and creating this powerful thirty second pitch? It’s simple. Identify your core audience. Identify your core message to that audience.
Ok, it may not exactly be simple, but it’s not impossible and it’s most definitely worth doing.