What is a brand?

My parents use to always say  “what people think about you doesn’t matter!” and while that has some truth to it, to some extent it really does matter! 

Let me explain, whether we realize it or not, every day we are acting in a certain way to shape or reshape people’s perception of us. Many public figures, even hire an “Olivia Pope” personality to help skillfully orchestrate public perception. 

I love this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, where he said “What you do speaks so loud, I cannot hear what you say.”

My take on it is that just like running a company, some people’s opinions matter more than others. I would call these people my target customers, stakeholders, investors etc. The faster we accept that some people will like us or our company and some people will not, the more focused we can become on what and who really matters.

That’s why you shouldn’t concern yourself with every comment a person makes about you, your company or negativity that may be going around. We each have the power to shape and reshape our own image and in effect people’s perception of us (those that matter!).

This is what companies spend thousands and even millions of dollars, to shape every year in advertising etc. Today you have the opportunity to guide and position your brand in the democracy called social media and online marketing at lower cost.

What you need to get clear about is what a brand is, which is explained  in this video, and take deliberate action to position your business the way you desire.

It’s as I always say “if you don’t brand yourself, the market will brand you!” So does it really matter what people think about you? If you are trying to build a certain brand deliberately, absolutely. You need to design and orchestrate your brand carefully and deliberately. At times, you may even need an Olivia Pope (at your service… Wink!) to fix it or professionally craft your customer magnet brand!

I hope you have a great week and after watching the video, please feel free to share and subscribe to my channel for more insights.

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