Creating your brand

A brand is more than just the logo or name an item goes by. A brand represents what a company is and what it stands for. Thus,w hen creating your brand you have to take into account several different elements. A brand without consideration can backfire.

Vision- The vision you set for your company should be inspiring. It should involve what you want your company to evolve to in the future. This can include financial things, but it should be more than that. It should excite and inspire employees to jump on board, and want to be apart of the change or value you are planning to bring to your market.

Mission- Your mission is the summary of what you are going to sell, who you are going to sell to, and how you will deliver on the promises made. This means you can set a mission such as, "Selling the highest quality office supplies for the lowest prices to small businesses, by cutting out the middle men, and proving office supplies direct to offices." The idea is to define what you do and how you will do it, and how that adds value to the consumer.

Values- This is big, it is what the people in your company must believe in and live by if you are going to deliver on your promises. In other words, if you really do not care about the little guys, or the small businesses, then your mission will fail. You have to set the things you company is going to value, whether that is customer relationships, lowest pricing, fastest service, etc. Your behavior as a company, and those of your employees will evidence whether or not you really stick to the values you purport.

Goals- This is company specific goals that help you achieve what you want in the defined time period.

This is your purpose. The purpose of a company, when well defined helps a company see higher profits, and more loyal consumers. The purpose is a shared vision that excited and inspires employees as well as those the employees come in contact with (the consumers). This is why creating a brand that is going to say a lot about who you are and what you stand for as a company is important. Your branding should highlight your competitive advantages, and should help people want to align with you and what you are. This might mean empowering women (such as the Nike women's brand), or being environmentally friendly. Whatever it is, in order for your brand to speak volumes about who you are and what you have to offer, you have to take the time to define your purpose.

A purpose driven organization does not just get you customers, it creates fans for you. A fan is a fantastic thing to have, as it means not just someone who is willing to come in and spend their money on your product or service, but someone who is your cheerleader, telling others about what you have to offer. A brand with a following of fans means letting your customers market for you, because they know you will deliver consistent, quality goods, that meet their needs, and are of value to them, regardless of what those goods are.