Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.

The quote above, by Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, succinctly expresses the truth about branding. At its core it’s about personal connections and human emotions. 

Think hard about how you want to make your customers feel. Every part of your marketing should be laser-focused on achieving that feeling.

Let’s define that feeling as your brand promise. It’s what your customer expects to experience when purchasing your product or service, and is the fundamental reason that people will buy from you, rather than your competitors. Many factors work together to form your brand promise – the quality of your product, the behaviour of your staff, and your pricing are just a few examples. It’s crucial that you fully understand this complexity, and how they interact, if you are to successfully and consistently communicate your offer to your customers.

Your marketing can be divided into three areas: your external marketing (how you communicate your brand promise to your customers), your internal marketing (how you communicate your brand promise to your employees), and interactive marketing (how your employees deliver your brand promise to your customers).

The concept of the Brand Triangle, illustrated below, shows how these three areas must interact in a balanced way to consistently influence your customer’s perceptions of your brand. 

Without all three sides of the triangle aligned, your customer’s experience will be confused and they’ll find it hard to decide to buy from you.

This month, let’s look at your external marketing. It’s your designer’s job to translate your brand promise into persuasive communication, reaching your audience, delivering your message, and turning sales prospects into paying customers.

To do this your marketing must achieve four things: Interrupt, Engage, Educate, Offer. Only then will you ensure your customers sit up and take notice.

Working with a creative consultant can really pay off here, helping you step back from your business and view your brand as your potential customers do. This will help you find alternative channels and cut through the digital noise. For example, direct mail is making a comeback. Your competitors don’t do it any more. Which is why you should reconsider it. Designed well, it brings a personal connection with your customers that’s very hard to match online.

Remember: how do you want to make your customers feel? I expect you want them to feel important. Cared for. Valued.

Opening a beautifully designed, high quality piece of direct mail is hard to beat in giving your customer that warm, enticing feeling about your brand.

Your marketing needs to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. Make sure you regularly review your approach and the channels you use.

Next month I’ll look more closely at the part internal marketing plays in enabling your employees to deliver your brand promise.

Danny Gosling is MD of Thinkography, creative consultant and graphic designer.

www.thinkography.com/build-your-brand