Cultivating Your Brand Is Hard, But The Payoff Is Real
You should be thinking about your brand as a long-term investment, not a one-time expense. You should also be moisturizing, but we digress…
In this video, we move our hands around a lot and use fancy words to describe good brands.
Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day (Neither was Coca-Cola)
When we start working with clients, we like to know what brands they aspire to be like. We always get the usual responses: “Apple, Coca-Cola, MySpace…” just kidding, nobody says that one. And that’s cool—we like ambition. But branding like this is not an overnight success story. That instant recognition and the way you feel about your favorite brands took a lot of time and dedication to cultivate. It takes ongoing re-investment to ensure your brand is properly integrated, values communicated, and visuals executed consistently both inside and outside your walls.
For the business leaders who are number types, this is a tough pill to swallow. They want to tie any and all brand expenditures back to an immediate, measurable ROI. We get it, businesses are in business to make money. But the business leaders adept at playing the long game know that when you Invest in your brand, the numbers will follow.
Tangible & Intangible Returns
So if branding ROI is hard to track, how can we say for certain that brand investments bring returns in the long term ? Well, a strong brand leads to a strong company, full stop.
The tangible returns are somewhat obvious. People are far more likely to connect with brands that are approachable, engaging, and have perceived values they relate to. That leads to brand loyalty, which earns more recognition in the marketplace, which leads to increased revenue, which leads to a higher company valuation for acquisition (if that’s your goal). Think of the stock options!
Some intangible returns are a little less obvious. Inside your doors, you’ll find that when your employees are engaged and feel aligned with your brand, they’re less likely to leave and are more likely to put forth their best efforts. It makes hiring easier and more fruitful. And it makes company swag more likely to be…swagged…outside your walls, turning them into some of your best brand advocates. In short, people are proud to be associated with great brands.
Swag, y’all.
Protection From The Unknown
Something else to consider is just how many scenarios a well defined brand strategy can help you navigate…especially the unknown. For example, a robust brand strategy can help you respond more rapidly to things like new market opportunities, significant events, or even a PR crisis.
*Leslie from HR was very real, but her name isn’t…
we changed it to protect the guilty.
And let’s be real. It can also help you avoid situations where Leslie from HR* goes rogue with the company PowerPoint deck, emboldening the entire department to accidentally spin your brand drastically out of control. Nothing says “multi-million dollar enterprise” like Comic Sans and Garfield quotes, right? Yeah.
The bottom line? A strong brand delivers returns far beyond its initial investment. It’s the very essence of your business, keeping everything in sync driving towards a future where your name isn’t just remembered, but revered. Why wouldn’t you want to invest in that?
