Do I really need a Brand Consultant?

Last month I met with a business owner. He had embarked on his own “branding” exercise a year ago. I asked him what he had done and he proudly shared his refreshed logo, a new corporate brochure, and a PowerPoint deck. I asked him what else he had done and he looked confused. So, I tried again with the following questions:

1.????Did you do any Brand research to understand where your brand is currently and how it matches with the needs and pain points of your target market

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2.????Did you look at what your competition is doing and find ways to strengthen your brand position against their value offerings?

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3.????Did you develop a Brand Strategy to position, differentiate, and build credibility/trust for your Brand?

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4.????You worked on your Brand Identity. Has this been applied consistently across your brand touchpoints, including not just the visual elements but the language and communication guidelines to project your brand?

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5.????Do you have a Brand Roadmap looking at how you can grow your Brand Online and Offline?

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I also asked what had changed for his business with this new “branding” and his answer was that nothing much had changed. His replies clearly show that his version of branding was superficial and lacked a deep understanding of what it means to Brand your Business.?Branding if not managed right is often left to the inexperienced executives spouting logo changes and design talk but missing out on what it really means. The business owner was not the first time I have experienced this. I see it over and over again when companies make ?? ???????????????? ????????????????:

1. They do it themselves and focus only on design, thinking that branding means a new logo

2. They do not get a consultant but rather a designer to work on design elements

3. They fail to strategically plan for their brand, instead, they focus on tactical elements such as a new logo, a new corporate deck, or a social media post.?

Now if you are a business with a room full of experienced in-house brand and marketing team members supporting you, like in the bigger MNCs, then you do not have to worry as much (by the way they also work with brand consultants to give them a non-bias perspective).?

But for the rest of the world, you need a Brand Consultant to come in to help you.?

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Brand consultancy helps you see what your company needs to position and differentiate itself as a leader in your marketplace. They help you capitalise on what makes your brand unique and for more people to know what makes you so valuable.?

Brand consultants guide your organisation in a clear direction to help you achieve your brand vision and purpose.

They help you navigate your company into the future providing a brand roadmap to help you get there. They look at your online and your offline landscape, advising you on how you can drive brand growth across key channels and touchpoints. They help you identify the gaps in your brand and how you can leverage your strengths and opportunities, so you can improve your branding efforts moving forward.

Moreover, a brand consultant partner helps you see the bigger picture. You can align your company’s core values to your branding efforts. Their priority will be brand outcomes, the results your company will get from effective branding. In turn, your entire organisation and your employees can work in synergy to reach its goals. ??????, ???????????????? ???????????????? ???? ?? ??????????.

Branding is also about getting your people aligned with your brand and moving in the same direction. Brand consultants do not just look at the external, they also focus on your internal brand, helping communicate, train, and align your internal stakeholders.

A brand consultant is key for a business. I truly believe that. ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ?????????????????

???????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ?? ???????? ?????????? ???????????????????? ?????? ???????? ????????????????:

1.????You shouldn’t entrust your branding with just any consultant who claims they can create logos or print marketing collateral. They are designers and not brand consultants

2.????They need to have a solid track record of successful brands worked on. Ask for the diversity and depth of their portfolio.

3.????Ensure they bring you through a strategic approach to looking at your market and data before providing strategic recommendations.

4.????Ensure they also help you get your internal stakeholders aligned to your brand. Your employees are key to the successful delivery of your brand!

?We ended up working with the business owner whom we mentioned at the start and already he has been able to see the differences between working with a brand consultant versus doing it on his own. My team at The Brand Theatre and I would love to work with you for your brand consulting or brand training needs. Having done this now for 25 ??????????, ???? 36 ?????????????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? 1000 ????????????, we are confident we can make a difference.?I also sit on boards, coach, and provide training on branding. Do reach out to me to see how I can help you with your brand.