30 AS SEEN IN UPSIZE MINNESOTA, MARCH 2003 • reprinted with permission, all rights reserved www.upsizemag.com

IT’S CRITICAL TO KEEP inmind what your company stands for inthe minds of your customers, employ-ees and other stakeholders. This isyour brand, and every action you takeshould be consistent with it, and makeit stronger.

You may think that branding is alarge company concept — an invest-

ment that you simply can’t afford.Wrong — it’s an investment that yousimply can’t ignore. The marketplacein which you do business is complex.Your customers have lots of choices forthe services and products they use. Justlike you, they are apt to be over-whelmed by e-mails, junk mail, mediaads and phone solicitations. We all seek

ways to cope with information over-load, and to simplify the choices thatwe make in managing our daily busi-ness activities.

Promises, promisesStrong brands make it easier for us

to make choices — they are promisesthat we can depend upon when tryingto get a specific job done. We don’thave to worry, we know what to expect— so the choice of a supplier for aproduct or service becomes a quickdecision. Strong brands stay top-of-mind and help us to be efficient. Dur-

ing these more challenging econom-ic times, strong brands become even

more valuable. Resources are tighter.Desired results are mandatory.

A brand is much more than just alogo or a clever tagline. It’s the out-ward expression of the unique and rel-

evant value that you provide. It’s howyou satisfy your customers’ needs, dayin and day out. Your message must besimple, so that your prospects and cus-tomers can internalize it. They mustembrace it, and want it.

Your brand should also serve as theguiding framework for your business.Resource allocation decisions, internalpolicy formulation, organizational cul-

BUSINESS BUILDER MARKETING by STEVE CARPLES

Building your brand,from discovery through diligence

Your messagemust be sim-ple, so that

prospects and customers can inter-nalize it. They must embrace it andwant it.

A core purpose should be morethan just the sheer pursuit ofprofits. Successful enterprises

set their sights on seemingly unat-tainable objectives, and stay true totheir core values as they pursue abold vision.

Use your brand strategy to guideyour growth, whether it comesfrom internal product develop-

ment or outside acquisitions.

[tips] 1

2

3 C

HA

RL

ES

ST

UB

BS

AS SEEN IN

tural refinements and new productdevelopment strategies should all bedeveloped with your brand in mind.The relationships that you build, theway in which you go about your dailybusiness and the internal culture thatyou create for your employees allshape your brand. Oftentimes, it’s theperception of who you are and whatyou represent that makes customerswant to associate with you, and domore business with you over time.

So let’s assume you agree that creat-ing a strong brand is critical. How doyou go about accomplishing it? Werecommend a four-stage “block andtackling” process that involves hardwork and a commitment to stick withit. Much like an annual plan, a brandmust be nurtured and continuallyrefined to keep it fresh and relevant.Here’s an outline of the four stages:

First, discoveryThink about what your business is

really about. Define your company’score competencies, unique assets, driv-ing goals and potential Achilles’ heels.Analyze the marketplace to discoveremerging and existing needs that are notbeing addressed. Understand how yourproducts or services can best addressthese needs in a differentiated andunique way. Be honest in looking atyourself, the market and your competi-tors. Understand your competition’sstrengths and how are they likely torespond to your actions and emergingtrends.

Second, distillationFormulate your strategy. Begin by

articulating your core purpose and val-ues. A core purpose should be morethan just the sheer pursuit of profits.Successful enterprises set their sightson seemingly unattainable objectives,and stay true to their core values asthey pursue a bold vision.

Next, develop a concise positioningstrategy. This should highlight a bull’s-eye target, a competitive frame-of-ref-erence, the unique benefits that youoffer and support reasons why. Yourstrategy should also include a cleardefinition and prioritization of the

results you hope to achieve. Finally,distill a creative expression for yourbrand — design your identity elementsand craft your messages to ensure thatyour promise is communicated withmaximum clarity and optimal impact.

Third, deliveryGo to market. Develop and execute a

marketing plan to build brand aware-ness, motivate initial and repeat pur-chase and build customer loyalty overtime. Choose your communicationvehicles carefully, recognizing thatoftentimes the medium is the message.Think about how to optimally leverageadvertising, promotion, PR and collat-

eral to project the right image. Use your brand strategy to guide

your growth, whether it comes frominternal product development or out-side acquisitions. Design your sales andcustomer care protocols to reflect yourbrand, and make sure that your inter-nal organizational culture is consistentwith the core purpose and values youhave articulated.

Finally, diligenceBe a brand steward — measure and

refine. Stewardship is about “keepingthe course” and ensuring that all youractions stay true to your brand strate-gy. Don’t chase an opportunity justbecause it presents itself. Stay focusedon your vision, values and positioningstrategy. Define metrics to measureyour progress, and to assess how your

customers and prospects feel aboutyour products and services. Conductmarket audits and solicit customerfeedback.

Facilitate open and honest dialogueup, down and across your organization.Don’t allow silos to form — keep

everyone focused on the same objec-tives. And use the feedback to continu-ously improve your offering and brandexpression.

Of course, this four-stage process isonly a roadmap. Success comes fromexecution, execution, execution. Beginwith a clear vision. F.R.E.E. yourselffrom the constraints of current think-ing: Forget the boundaries, the how-we-got-here’s and the way-we’ve-always-done-it’s. Recreate the market-place structure based on your histori-cal strengths and core competencies.Envision new ways that you can meetcustomer wants — see the futurethrough their eyes. Engage your targetaudiences in this new vision, bothintellectually and emotionally.Through this process, you will create aunique and relevant brand platform.

www.upsizemag.com AS SEEN IN UPSIZE MINNESOTA, MARCH 2003 • reprinted with permission, all rights reserved 31

[quote]“You may think that branding is an invest-ment that you simply can’t afford. Wrong —it’s an investment that you simply can’tignore.”

— Steve Carples, Synergistics Consulting

Steve Carples is theprincipal of SynergisticsConsulting in Min-netonka, with more than 21 years ofexperience helping companies artic-ulate and implement brand market-ing strategies for growth:952.525.3199; scarples@mn.rr.com

[contact]