Redefining Brand
by Kathy Burnham, APR, senior vice president, PSB Manufacturing

A new era has emerged in the world of "branding." For decades, branding usually involved imprinting a company's logo on everything it produced. The conventional wisdom was that a distinctive symbol would convey quality in customers' minds and thus generate loyalty.

But the explosive growth in media and the Internet has expanded the definition of brand. Consumers have vast access to information about the quality of products and services, and they can easily shop around. Branding today means meeting your customers' needs and expectations.

Five Tips to Build a Good Brand

Your company must set itself apart from competitors with quality products, great service and fair prices. If you meet, or even better, exceed your clients' expectations, you will create a brand experience that keeps them coming back. And when there are problems, it's how you respond to them that can make or break a brand's reputation. To build and protect your brand's reputation, here are five things you can do to help ensure it lives up to customers' expectations.

1. Keep your promises - Does your product work properly? Does it live up to its life expectancy? Fulfilling your brand promise rests on the quality of your products. It also depends on the way you treat your customers. Do you deliver on time, answer their questions, and express genuine gratitude that they chose your company and products?

2. Go above and beyond the call of duty - Anticipate your customers' needs. Be eager to fulfill those last-minute requests. Do whatever it takes to provide great service, consistently.

3. Be customer-centric - If you search the term "customer-centric" on Google®, you will land more than one million Web sites. This shows that there are plenty of us out there talking about it. That's easy to do, but it takes a concerted effort and the wherewithal to prove you are customer-centric. To set your company apart from the competition, strive to ensure that you deliver solutions that help your customers solve their problems, achieve their goals, and meet their deadlines. If you don't know if you are meeting their expectations, ask them!

4. Fill a void - Ever had that "I wished I had thought of that" moment? Some of the most successful companies today are innovative thinkers, doers and sometimes risk-takers. If you find a void in your customers' needs, fill it. One innovative designer couldn't believe it took three months to get a few plastic parts made to test his designs. He filled that need. Today his start-up company has an average annual growth rate of 250 percent, has expanded to Europe and is setting up shop in Japan next year.

5. Be honest - Believe in your brand or no one else will. Look at all your systems to ensure they help to support it. Be thorough. Involve employees to make sure they understand your brand and believe in it. Continually look for opportunities to make improvements. Lastly, don't be afraid to make changes to reflect shifts in the way you do business or adjust to new trends in your market.

The "experience" of a brand is what matters most. If it affirms that your customers made the right decision in choosing your brand, they will continue to support it. It is easy for a company to get caught up in a brand image. Remember to keep it simple. Keep your promises, go above and beyond the call of duty, be innovative, create a positive experience for your customers, and build your brand from the inside-out. Remember, your organization must represent not just what it does, but what it believes and how it acts in accordance with the brand.