13 Clear Signs You Have a Strong Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

13 Clear Signs You Have a Strong Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career What is the hallmark of a particularly strong  brand, and what lessons can be learned from those traits? These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at  yec.co. 1. Youre Always Evolving Having consistency and clear message is great, but what makes it even better is a  brand  that continuously evolves. A comparison between Apple and Nokia are a great example of this. Apple never settled for just one current trend or product that does well. Nokia was the best phone around during its era. Unfortunately, they settled and never got the chance to evolve.    Fritz Colcol,  ABN Circle 2. Youre Obsessed With  Your  Customers No matter what product or service you sell, it all comes down to serving people, because they are at the core of  your  business. They are the force that keeps you going. All  your  efforts should be directed at  your  customers. Whenever you decide to make a change or transform  your  brand  in some way, you have to make sure that youll still be able to deliver the best customer or user experience.  Solomon Thimothy,  OneIMS 3. Youre Authentic The hallmark of any strong  brand  is authenticity. A  brand  that is not genuine in the eyes of consumers will fail to resonate. Even extremely strong brands that have been cultivated by people who may seem inauthentic are, in fact, authentic in that they ultimately accurately reflect the curator of the  brand. When building  your  brand, understand who and what you are, and embrace it.  Adam Mendler,  The Veloz Group 4. You Know How to Tell a Great Story Human beings are natural storytellers. The act of storytelling cements social bonds, instills values and acts as a powerful way to bring  your  brand  to  life.  A strong  brand  will know who its audience is and create a story that they most identify with. An effective  brand  story will show what you do and how you do it, and will make the audience want to be a part of  your  story, too. Shu Saito,  Godai Soaps 5. You Have a Consistent Presence The top traits of successful brands are that its competitive, distinct, involves passion and is consistent. Dont be afraid to step out of the box. Make sure the  brand  is expressed across all marketing materials. Show some emotion and make sure that the  brand  continues to resonate with  your  loyal customers.  Andrew Schrage,  Money Crashers Personal Finance 6. You Emotionally Connect With  Your  Customers Strong brands are designed around emotions. They capture our hearts and inspire our souls. The all-time greatest brands do this in a variety of ways, formats (visually, through storytelling, etc.) and spaces (online, in-person or somewhere in-between). People are moved by their emotions, and the brands that know how to connect with us personally are the ones we are the most loyal to.  Amber Anderson,  Tote + Pears 7. Youve Embraced a Lifestyle A good  brand  extends beyond its product and incorporates an entire lifestyle. Red Bull is an excellent example of this philosophy in action: In a market stuffed with competitors, their energy drink  brand  defines itself by embracing extreme sports and an adrenaline-seeking lifestyle. Imagine a type of person or hobby that goes along with  your  companys products or services and add it to  your  brand!  Bryce Welker,  Crush The CPA Exam 8. You Operate With Honesty and Integrity In the information age, customers are more attracted to brands that put people before profits. For instance, many well-admired businesses aim to facilitate more responsible consumer habits by producing higher-quality goods that are affordable and made to last, while others encourage toxic consumerism with products that are quickly disposable.  Firas Kittaneh,  Amerisleep 9. You Give Back Strong brands have a philanthropic department dedicated to giving back to the community, country or world. Some of these brands will even tie their philanthropic efforts into their mission statement, helping create a bigger vision for their company.  Jared Atchison,  WPForms 10. You Offer Great Value and Great Service The hallmark of a particularly strong  brand  is always rooted in how it treats its customers and the value that the product itself offers. Any  brand  can come up with a catchy name, logo and other branding assets, but what separates the winners from the losers is the quality of the actual product/service they are selling, as well as how they treat and nurture their customers.  Jared Weitz,  United Capital Source Inc. 11. Youre Constantly Innovating The brands that stay relevant through the years are those that keep  changing. Software companies come out with upgrades and new features. Brick-and-mortar businesses update their ordering systems, product offerings and the ambiance of their establishment. While the foundation and unique benefit of the business stays constant, the experience continues to evolve.  Brian Greenberg,  True Blue Life Insurance 12. You Live Out  Your  Core Values A strong  brand  is one that follows its core values and conveys them to both their employees and customers. Being consistent in this message and ensuring that employees exemplify it will create a  brand  that is strong. An example is American Express, which counts customer commitment, quality and integrity among its core qualities, and is known to have excellent customer support and service. Vincenzo Villamena,  Online Taxman 13.  Your  Brand  Is Timeless A good  brand  is timeless. It can survive from generation to generation without having to change the core message too much. If you look at Coca Cola, one of the top brands in the world, their name, colors and taglines are as relevant today as they were in the early 1900s. A good  brand  can always stand the test of time. Avoid trendy words or phrases that are in today, but might be gone tomorrow.  Andy Karuza,  FenSens