Branding is one of the sacred cows of marketing.

 Branding is the term bandied about by small business
start-up owners and enterprise level tycoons. They talk about it as if it were
in their control. They spend hard-earned time and money trying to create it and
manage it.

The secret is that you can’t.

 Your brand is the sum total of all the perceptions about your
company or product or service in the mind of the prospect or customer.
Everything that you do and all that is said about you add up to your brand.

Branding is more than a logo or a tagline because actions
speak louder than words. 

Think you can control what is believed about your brand by
buying positive comments on social networking?

Think again.

Feel that you caught a bad break when the URL that folks
assume will match your name comes up with a Better Business Bureau warning?

You did. And your brand just took a hit.

Believe that you can advertise your way out of a customer
service snafu?

Change your religion.

Branding is about behavior, your behavior in all aspects of your
company.  The face you turn to your
employees impacts it. The face you bring to negotiations with suppliers can
change it. The face you present to customers when there is a problem can alter it.

Branding is something you need to do whether you make
decisions over a kitchen table or in a paneled board room.

Your brand is the bell cow. As it goes, so goes the value of
your company, product or service. 

Learn more. visit www.JerryFletcher.com

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