Your Logo is Not Your Brand - Why You Need a Brand Architecture and Strategy

Many business and marketing leaders think a brand starts and ends with a logo, colors and design.

In the digital age of today marketers know how to strategically piece together a beautiful canvas of images on their Instagram profile, create eye catching Facebook cover photos, and engaging video intro and outros for YouTube.

However, experienced brand marketers know branding is far more than a logo or a simple social media image that gets a ton of likes on Facebook or LinkedIn. In reality, the logo is the easy part and only one small yet very important component of your brand.

To survive in business today marketers must know how to build a brand architecture and strategy. One that is inclusive of the brand identity with supporting visuals, language and more. The colors, language and visuals are supporting elements, not “the” brand. Big difference.

Your brand is not your logo! It is a promise delivered. Value Received.

When developed properly, your brand is your platform to differentiate, communicate and attract your dream customers. It helps people know what to expect from your brand as well as the products and services you provide.

Your brand is your promise and value you offer customers, your community and all who come in contact with your brand. It's a promise delivered. It's value received. It's community. It's relationship. It's empowerment, inspiration, education and more.

Your brand is why you do what you do and why others should join your cause, mission and vision. Your brand should invite them to be part of something bigger than you or them can be alone.

Are you influencing brand perception in a positive way?

Some argue that “your audience determines your brand, so why worry about it?” While it is true that the perception of your brand is in fact in the eye, heart and mind of the recipient, it is not true that the receiver is responsible for that first, second or third brand touch. That is your responsibility.

At the root of your brand are a set of experiences. Your brand is your personality, communication, tone and perceptions of all who experience your brand.

It's how people describe your brand and the experience you offer them. It's what they say good or bad about you when you are in the room, and when you're not.

You can't control perception. However, you can influence perception if you know how to build, launch and manage your brand architecture. Every brand touch is an opportunity to influence perceptions, to build your reputation.

At the core, your brand is rooted in who you are and how you care about others. It's not just about you. It's not just about pretty colors or a logo you pay a marketing or branding agency big bucks to design.

It's not a brand manual an agency delivers and you don't look at again until you need to update your business cards. Your brand is something you live daily.

Your Brand is the Foundation for a Successful Business

Your brand is the foundation and one of the most important aspects of your business. Regardless of the size of your business, you have one chance to make a first, second and third impression. Every brand touch counts. Every brand touch is influencing perception and building your reputation. You are either earning trust, building thought leadership and relationships or you are not!

A good brand architecture and strategy will enable you to better share your brand story in an authentic way. Doing such can emotionally bring people closer to your brand in a very real, meaningful and human way. The more confidence you have in your brand foundation the more confidence your ideal customer will have in believing in your brand promise.

As a marketer you have the opportunity to be storyteller, and to also engage and empower others to not only be part of the story, but to give them a canvas and a paint brush and inspire them to help you write and tell it.

Would you like to learn where to start in building your brand architecture, strategy, vision, mission and more so that you can impact brand perceptions, increase brand equity and build a loyal tribe of brand evangelists? If you answer yes, then you have landed on the right blog post and podcast episode today!

Take a listen to the 201st episode of the Social Zoom Factor podcast where I provide the definition of a brand, reputation and most importantly the top 5 reasons why you must develop your brand strategy and how it can benefit your business, customers and greater community!

Take a listen and be sure to subscribe to the entire series on iTunes, Stitcher or SoundCloud!

In this 25 minute podcast you will learn:

Definition of branding
Definition of a brand identity
Definition of brand architecture
Definition of visual branding
Definition of brand trust
Definition of reputation
Top 5 reasons you must develop a brand strategy for your business
Importance of brand story telling
How to increase brand equity
Risks that lead to decreased brand equity
Establishing thought leadership, earning trust and credibility via branding
How to differentiate from your competition via branding
How to tap into the power of emotional branding

Supporting Resources:

2020 Content Editorial Calendar Template
15 Tips to Zoom Your Brand (white paper)
Audience Analysis Worksheet

Need more help? Social Profit Factor Training Academy and Marketing Nutz Can Help!

Social Profit Factor Training System + Member Community can help you ignite your online social brand, tribe and business results! Before you even think about using social media for business you need to develop your social branding strategy and plan! Social Profit Factor will help you develop your plan with goals, objectives and priorities within 30-60 days!

Need help launching a new product or service launch? Want to leverage social media marketing for your brand? Our agency, Marketing Nutz can help you develop your strategy inclusive of a brand architecture that will help you achieve your goals. Give us a shout and let's get to work!