3 Types of Brand Communication to Master
Your brand is a powerful asset for your company. Branding is about more than just stringing together beautiful words; it’s about the high-level brand strategy needed to make your company recognizable, memorable, and easy to understand. A strong brand identity gives consumers a reason to buy beyond price and features.
There are many reasons why you need a brand strategy from a business perspective. The most basic forms of brand communication are necessary for presenting your company in a variety of situations and should be a priority from the very beginning. Think of it this way: your branding and communication strategy is your way of identifying the “forest,” and once you have done this, then you can start talking about the trees. To talk about one tree without understanding its place in the forest would be foolish.
But what is brand communication? Here, we will provide you with three different types of brand communication that will help you to be able to articulate your brand effectively, whether you are speaking with a potential prospect, investor, employee, or even a family member at Thanksgiving.
The 3 basic forms of brand communication to master:
1. Vision
What is your vision? Describe what you want your company to be in one or two sentences. Your vision is aspirational – it communicates what you hope to achieve as a company and paints a picture of what company success will look like. It should be inspirational – something that drives the team forward and gets everyone excited. Your vision should be different from your mission, says strategist and industry analyst, Daniel W. Rasmus, author of Listening to the Future. “Many organizations confuse mission and vision," Rasmus wrote in an article for Fast Company. “A mission is about who you are. Missions rarely change. Visions should be dynamic and drive constant learning and innovation.”
2. Elevator Pitch
This is a very important skill for executives, especially those involved in sales. You should be able to present your company quickly and succinctly at any moment. You never know when you’ll have the opportunity to get face time with someone important.The elevator pitch should describe what makes your product or service unique. It’s crafted in a way that is easy-to-understand but also gets a person excited about your idea. The elevator pitch is short – it gets its name from the idea that it doesn’t last longer than an elevator ride. What is important is that it leaves people with a solid understanding of what your company provides and leaves them hungry for more.Like the vision statement, the elevator pitch is dynamic and must evolve. Never let an elevator pitch get stale. It should be flexible enough so that you can tailor it to whom you’re speaking to.For more ideas about how to write the perfect elevator pitch, check out “The Art of the Elevator Pitch: 10 Great Tips” from readwrite.
3. 10-Minute Presentation
You can do a lot with a 10-minute presentation. It is said that in 10 minutes, Steve Jobs reinvented the music industry. If you were given 10 minutes to present your company, how would you do it?
What We Do:
In no more than one paragraph, explain what it is that your company does. Identify the problem you are solving and describe your solution.
Why We Are Different:
With a couple of sentences, explain what sets you apart from your competitors. This isn’t the place to pull out flowery, embellished language. People are tired of hearing your marketing garble. Just be clear and to the point about what makes you different.
How We Do It:
This is your chance to showcase your work and the process you use to get to the final product. Don’t go too far in-depth, because you only have 10 minutes for your presentation.
Steve Jobs is famous for his presentation skills even though he wasn’t necessarily a natural presenter. Jobs cultivated his skills with practice – preparing hours beforehand. Giving a good presentation requires your ability to perform and also to tell a good story.
It’s a good idea to avoid long, detailed slide presentations. It’s practically a lullaby for your audience members. Keep your slides light on text to keep your audience engaged. If your presentation consists of you reading everything off the slides, you’re giving your audience no reason to listen to you. They can read all the information on their own terms and tune you out.
To find out more about types of brand communication, get in touch.