Branding Demystified

With James Burgin, I presented the concept of social branding to some 550 enthusiastic participants in T. Harv Eker’s World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar. The gist of our story: (1) social media is the huge new opportunity in growing a small business brand and (2) you need a brand strategy to make it work for you.

The positive reception was overwhelming, and it would be nice to claim all that credit for our dazzling presentation skills. A quick reality check is in order. Our audience comprised entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, and they are hungry for a missing link. They know branding matters — that in fact it’s the key to consistent sales. What they don’t know is how to put a successful brand together.

The problem is that most online chatter about brand strategy, like most books on the subject, focuses on the behemoths: McDonalds, Target, Apple, etc. There are lessons to be learned from the giants, but not without a great effort of translation. For your 3-person software start-up, you can’t just cut and paste a repositioning exercise by Wall-Mart. Much better to construct your small-business brand from the ground up, using principles tailored for the entrepreneur. But this takes system, and where is that to be found?

For some years, I’ve used my own brand strategy process for coaching entrepreneurial clients and it hasn’t failed me yet. Now I’ve made a commitment to get that process into the hands of more business owners.

My prediction: the topic of “small business brands” will be a growing focus of interest in the coming months and years.