Category Archives: brand building

From Bullet-Point Business to a Brand With a Story

Written on by in brand building, brand story, marketing plan, podcast

Chapter 2 of The Marketing Plan Podcast

Level 1  Branding: Four Questions to Write  Your Brand Story

Good stories are hard to ignore. A brand with a story is a brand that matters. Stories are especially powerful because they allow customers to gather around your business with commonality. Stories create communities. So why aren’t there more good brand stories?

Because businesses tend to present themselves as a bullet-point list of features, benefits, and price tags. Is that the best way to present your business? Not if you believe this advice from Tom’s Shoes founder, Blake Mycoskie:

“If you organize your life around your passion, you can turn you passion into your story and then turn you story into something bigger; something that matters.“

In Chapter 2 of The Marketing Plan Podcast, I’m going to help you write your brand story. My four, Level 1 Branding Questions will drill down into your entrepreneurial soul, and reveal the essence of your brand. That essence will write your brand story. Press play and get started.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download


Email Subscribers and Feed Readers, click here to listen: Creating Your Brand Story

The Level 1 Branding Questions:

1. What is your core ideology? (what you believe)

Your creed; what you stand for and the reason you exist.

2. What are your core values? (timeless guiding principles)

The decisions that guide our brand. They are your core,  you decide what they are, not a focus group.

3. What is your mission? (your purpose and reason for being)

What you accomplish for your customer, and what will you change? This is the motivation for doing your work.

4. What is your vision? (what you will become)

The envisioned future of your brand. What you aspire to achieve or create.

To learn how to turn your answers into your brand story.Listen to Chapter 2 in the player above.

Download the worksheet: Level 1 Branding Questions
Listen to Chapter 2 for complete guidance through  questions and examples of answers.

Download Level 1 Branding Questions
Click Image to Download

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5 Branding Questions Every Business Should Ask

Written on by in brand building

Your business is not defined by a category, but by your mission and your emotional objective. That’s a big part of understanding the process of branding. With that in mind, here are five brand-building questions, inspired by Mitch Baranowski and his 5 Tips on Branding For Good From Successful Social Entrepreneurs. What’s My Connection? It’s

How do You Build a Great Brand?

Written on by in brand building

Let’s say you could start over again and re-design your company. How many times have you dreamed about that? But now it’s different; you have experience, and you’ve read the Steve Jobs biography, you’re ready to do it right. So let’s rebuild your company from the ground up into a great brand. Ready? Ok, wait.

The Brand Experience Frame Makes All The Difference

Written on by in brand building, Customer Experience, differentiation

The Big Idea: You don’t have a brand until until customers experience that brand. Frame your experience to deliver your brand. I know you say you have a brand. You’ve worked hard on your all your brand elements. But brands don’t happen until someone experiences something. What do your customers experience? As we’ve discussed many

Should You Follow Conventional Wisdom?

Written on by in brand building, marketing

A friend just completed seminary and is in the process of starting a new church. He and the church-planting committee have set out to do some research. They are visiting other churches in the area, surveying and talking to people to find out what the people need. After all, conventional wisdom tells us to find

Brand vs. Brand vs. Local Brand

Written on by in brand building, branding

Every new customer goes through a decision process. And the first decision is “Where do I buy?” The answer to that question is determined by the strength of the brands in consideration. Whether or not you get a chance at the business is determined by the strength of your brand. It’s a competition between brands

Creating a Brand Vocabulary to Build Culture and Community

Written on by in brand building, Business, community

Unexpectedness and contrast make a brand memorable. They are the attention twins that make your business different. Unless your business offers something unexpected, or is contrasted from your competition, you are unlikely to be noticed by consumers. In fact, you are more likely to be ignored. Throughout your business, you should seize the opportunity to

It’s Never Just a Marketing Issue

Written on by in brand building, Business, marketing, marketing plan

If you want to bang your head against the wall, blame your business problems on your marketing. “The reason we don’t have more business? It’s just a marketing issue.” There’s the business side of things, and then there’s marketing. Umm…not so fast. Actually, they’re the same thing Over on the Brand as Business Bites blog,

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