How can you build your confidence in Brand Development?

When beginning in this field I find it most helpful to have a strong mentor with many years of experience. If it’s within the own company, it is most helpful because you have a sparring partner to discuss new ideas and get the immediate possibility to put them into practice.

For me, it's about organically isolating in your mind/heart a handful of brands that magically separate from the herd and personally connect to you. Then deploy your natural passion to discover the why. There is an intentional design on how these brands came to be so successful in connecting with the public on a deeper level. Some examples could be Ikea, Volkswagen, Nike, and Apple. Once you understand some great cases, the application becomes inherent.

Two foundational study areas are strategy and marketing. Without being familiar with the language and purposes of a brand, it's much more difficult to feel confident using the more advanced theories or frameworks within branding.

There are many opportunities for practice. Some are available through formal education, but if this isn't a realistic possibility there are many others. For example: work on your own personal brand first, then offer to help others with theirs. Informally advise small businesses or even offer unsolicited advisement on brand development. These provide opportunities to practice your skills in low-pressure environments and provide value for individuals or companies who may not be in a position to pay for brand development.

Always be critical of feedback and evaluate the position of its source. While feedback that is honest, actionable, and constructive is useful its also uncommon. Online environments are often full of anonymous commenters who have no investment or responsibility to stand behind their feedback. Professional feedback can be filtered through organizational politics or other biases that must be taken into consideration. At the end of the day, while feedback is worthwhile, always be aware of the motivations of its source and think critically about its quality before acting on it.

While this advice is generally good, in brand development the lead times to pay-off can be long. By recognizing and rewarding yourself for your own development you can keep morale up. Do not attach your own sense of achievement to external recognition as you may be waiting a long time if ever for it.

A former boss told me the best part of working in branding is that no matter what you find interesting you will get the chance to work on it professionally. Every industry needs a brand. Seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge base and engage your interests by challenging yourself to work on brands for industries you're unfamiliar with. It's an incredible learning experience that will make you a better brander.

Para construir la confianza en el desarrollo de marca, es fundamental realizar investigaciones sobre el público objetivo, ser honesto y reconocer los errores, focar en la necesidad del cliente, comunicar de manera efectiva, satisfacer al cliente, responder a opiniones negativas de manera educada, definir y comunicar claramente los valores de la marca y simplificar la experiencia del cliente.

I think there is not much to add to the previous points. They are all true. I think that to generate trust in the company you have to show that there are people, real human beings and not algorithms or automatic messages, willing to listen to and resolve the client's needs.