Branding has become the “buzz word” of the last decade. Everyone either has a brand, wants a brand, or is building a brand.
Leaders should feel a responsibility to help in the branding process. Building the brand does not rely on the graphics guy or the marketing major. Building the brand starts with leadership and finishes with the people who choose to engage with what we do.
As we brand better, let’s first make sure we understand what branding is NOT.
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Branding is not marketing.
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Branding is not blasting.
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Branding is not your logo.
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Branding is not social media success.
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Branding is not the secret missing sauce to your new found wealth.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Branding is the story that surrounds who you are and what you do. ” quote=”Branding is the story that surrounds who you are and what you do. “]
There are some very simple things you can do to brand better as you become intentional about what it is you’re really trying to say.
1 Talk Story Not Stats.
I see a lot of youth pastors and senior pastors come through Discovery Camp every single year. Every time I start with “So.. How’s your world spinning?” Almost on cue every one of them starts with… “Whew… Busy man…. We’ve got about XX number of people showing up….“
I always want to respond with, “Awesome, but how many are you truly discipling?” Numbers aren’t bad, it’s just that stories are better. If you get people talking about the stories of what you do it will cause people to become curious about what you could do for them as well. Momentum takes place when people start talking about what happened to other people who have engaged with you and what you do.
2 Walk The Talk
Leaders get excited when they are “on top of the Moses mountain with God” as they gather the vision/instructions. Then they come down from the mountain and experience immediate frustration because they walk into a place with people who aren’t already on the same page. It’s quite a difficult emotion to process. Who is suppose to explain the vision? How do you walk it out? This may be the most important part of your branding process. Cultures are created around great brands. As you work on your brand you’ll always be affecting culture at the same time. It’s easy to write down what you want on the wall, but it’s true leadership that walks it out in the hall. Practice what you preach and watch your team follow along.
The more you build your team the more they’ll build the brand.
[clickToTweet tweet=”It’s easy to write down what you want on the wall, but it’s true leadership that walks it out in the hall.” quote=”It’s easy to write down what you want on the wall, but it’s true leadership that walks it out in the hall.”]
3 Listen To Your Logo
How in the world do you listen to a logo? A logo is a visual representation of who you are, what you do, and why you do it. We are in the process of a logo re-design right now for BMI (Burchfield Ministries International) that we’ve been working on it for 2 years (with no apology). We recognized that things were shifting and moving in our ministry and we wanted to not just get it done, but get it right. So we slowed things down and started asking questions that are worth answering. When you see a logo you should feel something. You should be taken back to a time and place where you experienced the product or service of what the design reflects. If your logo was made in the 80’s, chances are you run your church/organization as if it were still in the 80’s. Your logo should be a mirror of all you value and stand for. Like a great song, your logo should give you a sense of purpose and excitement when you see it/hear it. When you get it right and it grooves with all you are doing plaster it everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. CNN does a wonderful job of this example. On a recent trip to the Atlanta head quarters, my greatest takeaway was how intentional CNN was about where their logo was seen. From desktop backgrounds on every computer to the trash cans and floor mats in the lobby. You were not going to miss those 3 iconic letters. I’d encourage you to study what it takes to build a great logo. It’s the stamp and seal of all you do compressed into a small jpeg file.
Where there are a billion people who talk about branding out there, no one does it better, in my opinion than Phil Cooke.
I’d encourage you to check out his book called, “Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Nonprofits Impact Culture and Others Don’t“.
Branding is not a fad or for a small few. It could be the one thing keeping your from reaching your potential merely because no one knows what you are really trying to do.
