Branding For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6

Putting Your Brand into Words

In This Chapter

Knowing your business mission and vision

Defining your brand

Building a brand and building a home have two things in common: Both need a site to occupy — an available lot in the case of a home and an open marketplace position in the case of a brand — and both require a plan that you can follow in order to achieve the desired outcome.

The process of finding an unoccupied place in your competitive landscape is called positioning; it’s the first important step in branding and the topic of Chapter 5. Planning the brand you intend to create is what this chapter is all about.

The pages in this chapter help you lay the foundation for a brand that accurately reflects the essence of what you stand for and how you operate. You start by pulling out your mission and vision statements. (If you don’t already have them, don’t panic but do count on the next section to help you get your statements into words.) Next, you define the promise you make to all who deal with you and your organization. After that, you decide on the brand character that will influence all expressions of your brand — your name, logo, tagline, advertising, website, the products and services you offer, the staff you assemble, the customer experience you deliver, and ...