The 4Cs of a Strong and Intentional Brand
You must understand your brand essence - the soul of your brand - before you can communicate it with the world and expect your customers to help tell your stories.
You brand is how people experience you. Expectations + Experience + Emotional Connection.
Your logo and your colors and fonts are critical parts of brand identity, but I have found both with my own business and with my clients that if you start with logos and fonts, you will almost always have to later press pause and do the work all over again. Even if you try and build (or hire someone to build) a website for you, if you don’t have your brand defined with real clarity, it is a waste of time, money and your precious energy.
To help give branding some structure, I have divided it into four areas - I call them the 4Cs - that are crucial to understanding your brand. How it walks and talks. What it values. Your brand personality.
These 4Cs are:
1 | Brand Clarity
2 | Brand Consistency
3 | Brand Communication
4 | Brand Conversation
1 | Brand Clarity
This is the foundation of your brand and is the most important. It includes your Why. What makes you different than your competitors. Your brand personality - how it walks and talks.
Brand Clarity also includes your customer’s values, needs, and their problem that you will solve.
It defines your brand promise - your mission. Your vision and your values.
2 | Brand Consistency
This is where you make sure that your brand is consistent at every touchpoint - each moment a customer interacts with your business. Without Brand Consistency, your customers can’t remember your stories. They can’t connect your brand dots in their heads. Simply put: you cannot build trust and loyalty without Brand Consistency.
3 | Brand Communication (or Content)
Brand Communication starts with your Brand Voice. And then it is WHERE you are talking, WHAT your are saying, and WHY you are saying it. It is your messaging (which all goes back to Brand Clarity) and all of your content, whether that be an ad, a blog post, your website copy, or social media.
4 | Brand Conversation
This is the holy grail and what we all want - for our customers to talk about us! We have to give them stories to tell and help them with word of mouth, whether that is in person or on social. Your clients can be your best marketing assets, but you have to help them by giving them tools and best practices.
Once you understand these four areas for your own business, your life is so much easier!
It’s easier to make marketing decisions.
It’s easier to figure out what to say on an Instagram caption.
It’s easier to make hiring decisions.
It increases your confidence in your entire business - REALLY!
It’s easier to create client experiences and create an emotional connection with your customers.
And for our businesses to really succeed, we must make an emotional connection - help our clients remember us - give them the stories to tell.
You can do this! If you have any questions, feel free to schedule a call to chat.
