125 Tips for Building an Irresistible Brand

125 Tips for Building an Irresistible Brand

Reader Comments (99)

  1. Logan:

    I really like today’s post. Maybe it’s the depth of the post. Perhaps it’s the excellent questions you asked about each main point.

    The only drawback is defining brand. The businessdictionary dot com defines it as, “Unique design, sign, symbol, words, or a combination of these, employed in creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors. ”

    Next, you engage us in the five categories: know yourself, know your audience, know your competition, building a brand experience, and implementation tips.

    Finally – but most importantly – you ask some engaging questions, on the five categories.

    “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”~Socrates. But you know what makes Socrates wise? He knew the right questions to ask.

    Randy

    • Thats true! Many dont realize what a Brand is. And much less realize how to promote and monetize a Brand. I guess its the clarity with which one approaches which will make all the difference.

      • Randy, I think it was alright that Logan did not define the word “brand”. It was implicit and the questions were given precisely so that the readers can understand the concept of branding. To define is to limit understanding. To ask question is to expand understanding.

    • @Randy,

      Just to let you know that your comments make visiting Copyblogger.com an experience.

      A real thought provoking post today. Answering these questions is going to take some effort and time, no doubt. But it is an experience that will leave one with a totally different perception of self.

      Thanks for posting.

  2. It comes down to knowing who you are and where your going on the road of success. Get answer from your today follows and see what they need from you. Adjust your thinking be getting on task and making your daily planning into an must do. It will come down to just being consistence..Great List Logan..

    “Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”

  3. What an amazing post! Think I’ll print it and laminate it….

    I like 94 as this can easily be forgotten as the logo and fonts are decided on – I’d also add “Give your ‘promoters’ a voice and somewhere they can share their problems and discussions”. A facebook page is one idea.

    Am just off to switch the laminator on….

    Thanks again Logan for a super post.

    Lucy

  4. I’m using this post as a worksheet. Planning to fill it out with my own answers and put it up on my wall. This is perfect for anyone who’s struggling with stage one in building their business. Thanks so much Logan.

    • I read the post and thought the exact same thing that Paul did! Have you made your worksheet yet? How did it work for you? Basically, I just wanted to know if you had any suggestions before I get started.

      Thanks!

  5. Fantastic post! Great questions that spark thought and action. Sometimes when you are doing work you love, it is easy to overlook important facets of your brand. Thanks for shining a broad light here. This is a reference I will use throughout the year.

    Bold on!

    s

  6. Logan –

    Great post….I can’t really pick a favorite on the list since there are so many great thoughts here. One thing about brand to me is to ask yourself this question: “If there were other businesses to choose from, would my customers continue to choose mine?”

    If the answer is a resounding “Yes” then you have done a great job at not only customer experience but building a brand as well.

    🙂

  7. Thanks for the good post. I have a comment about #118.

    Perhaps it would be useful if you added a few comments about the difference between a brand and a product.

    For instance, is Copyblogger a brand or a product? What about Scribe – the SEO product that Copyblogger offers: is it a product, or a separate brand?

    And when I see Scribe being advertised in the sidebar of Copyblogger, is it counter to #118 about not marketing more than one brand – if indeed it is a separate brand – to the same audience?

    How about Agora Publishing? They cross market all of their brands (or are they products?) – such as an e-newsletter for investors, another for internet marketer and others – through their flagship newsletter, Early to Rise.

    A little clarification for someone like myself – people who want to start profitable blogs – might be helpful. Thanks.

    Ken

    • Yes, Scribe is a separate brand of Copyblogger Media, as is StudioPress, Teaching Sells, Third Tribe and the upcoming Premise. But in our model, the brand attraction is strongly centered around the media brand Copyblogger, with satellite product and service brands.

      In other words, Copyblogger is usually how people find us thanks to the free content. Then and only then do we introduce people to the product and service brands, which eliminates any confusion.

      This is one way in which a content marketing model works. It seems to be working pretty well. 😉

    • Great question Ken. In addition to what Brian said, you can also think of it this way…

      You have a primary or “parent” brand for your blog that appeals to your entire audience (in this case, Copyblogger). Each of your products or services are a “child” brand of sorts that will target a segment of your audience who are most likely to buy that offering.

      When done right, this works because the product brand is used as a method of qualifying and attracting the portion of your overall audience who need that product.

      So even though you promote your product to the whole audience, the two brands don’t conflict and confuse people because you’ve made it obvious that the product is a product and not your primary brand.

      Hope that helps 🙂

      • Thank you for all the questions and suggestions. I feel that if one will simply go through each number, and answer or implement them, then he’ll surely come up with a better brand.

        This additional explanation also help me examine my primary brand. Is it my blog or my seminars?

        Thank you.

  8. Great set of questions and advice to think over and implement Logan! I worked on asking myself several of these and implementing them over the last several months. The next step is to continue moving forward while still asking myself these questions to help guide my actions and keep me on track.

  9. Wow, lots to think about in this post. Love the ‘know your audience’ section, which unfortunately is often skipped over, despite being one the most important parts of any plan. Thanks for the in-depth advice!

  10. Brain your posts are awesome. Your website have been a great resource for me from the day I read Darren book in which he has mentioned your blogs and copy-writing tutorials too.

    All these 125 ways will help everyone to stand out of crowd if done we do it correctly. I will make a list figure out all 125 ways.

    Thanks,
    Kai

  11. This is wonderful…love how you keep getting back to the word “authentic.” THAT (to me), in a nutshell, is what attracts others to us (blog) and/or our product. Be consistent. I would love to know more about the diff personality types and how that intel affects a r-e-al-l-y small biz. Extroverted sanguine comes to mind (the magnetic “never met a stranger,” dreamer, etc. No wonder I can’t sleep. GREAT stuff…will pass along.

  12. Great list of questions. Without a clear vision for your brand you risk finding yourself being shaped by your followers into something you never intended. Of course, this will happen to some degree as your brand evolves, but a clear vision at the start helps you morph in your intended direction.

    This list is going to be a lot of help to me.

    • That’s a good point Tammi. The brand you develop needs to be able to evolve and grow with your business and your audience – otherwise it will limit you rather than help you grow. But that growth needs to be balanced against your vision and long-term goals to help your brand evolve rather than react.

      Thanks for bringing that up!

  13. This is definitely a post that I will be turning back to quite often because I am trying to not only build a irresistible brand for myself, but build an incredible brand for my company. Branding is all about creating powerful relationships by providing value to your customers and addressing the needs of your audience.

  14. This is one great list,the thing that always becomes
    a problem for me though is the seemingly
    contradicting idea of “good enough” and
    something like Ready Fire Aim.In other
    words,put something out there, and make
    adjustments to it.Can you comment about
    this,they seem to say opposing ideas.
    thanks, Ron

    • Great question Ron – in fact, I get asked that a lot. Here’s my opinion.

      Making something the best you can at the time, launching it, and continuing to make it better is not the same as shrugging your shoulders and saying “eh, good enough,” because you’re tired of working on it or are too lazy to put any more effort in.

      So when I refer to not settling for “good enough,” it’s the latter of the two I’m talking about. If you never settle for less than your best effort, you’ll be in good shape.

  15. I find your 125 tips to building an irresistible brand quite informative. I am new to the internet as a web site owner. Actually, my site is not as refined as I would like it to be. But I am encouraged to know that it is ok to launch it, so long as I am continuing to make improvements. Thanks for the article.

  16. I really liked that the list starts with exploration of the person who creates the brand. It is critical to brand success. The only point I would add to this list is “Evolve your brand”. Based on my experience starting an online boutique at http://www.fashionvortex.com I learned that the brand evolves with your business and you need to update your message and brand image at least once a year.

  17. at present branding your product is too important that you can’t realize it. Social media is there for you to get any hype and make it sucessful in no time. Realize your strengths and listen as much as you can and implement them into your work. In no time you will make a brand from nothing to more than you can’t think off

  18. I can’t wait to answer each and every one of these questions. Thanks for the fabulous resource and soon-to-be acquired blogging (and personal) insight.

  19. Great post worthy of printing out. I loved the tip about the “freak flag”. Boring and the status quo is definitely a brand killer.

  20. As a limousine software company I have come across some limo companies that have done a great job creating their brand and others that have not. Tips like these can really help companies from any industry build a foundation for the type of brand they want to become.

    Thank-you!

  21. I don’t print blog posts as a general rule, but I’m printing this one. I’m going to take the thing into the bathtub with me, where with jets blasting and hot water (maybe TMI–sorry 😉 ), I’m going to study this list and make notes and polish up my brand. Thanks so much for this. It’s like getting a book in a blog post. 🙂

  22. Great article, and a great reference for people looking to make a difference with their brand. This is the day and age where time and effort and make all the difference, where in the past you needed huge financial backing. With a little organization, passion, an internet connection, and a plan, you can make miracles happen, and with a list like this guiding you, you are well on your way to achieving your goals, so long as your goals are aligned properly with the needs of your business/brand.

  23. I like the question-driven approach and the simple frame.

    I also like the fact that being a rock star in your niche doesn’t require playing the guitar or big-80’s hair, although that might help.

  24. An interesting list, but just the sheer length of it shows how hard it is to make a brand irresistible. It seems to me that business people as a whole are trapped in the illusion of makeability.

    • Thanks for the feedback Pepita. Actually, building a great brand isn’t hard – it just takes an investment of time. This is a big list, and at first glance it may seem a bit overwhelming. But if you take a close look at the questions, you’ll notice they’re pretty easy to answer if you spend a little bit of time doing so.

      • Hi Logan, thanks for your reply but I cannot disagree with you more. I think you are creating the illusion that building a brand only needs time. In my experience that is not true. Of course you need time to build a brand, but you have to make the right choices. Every question in that list is a question that you can answer in more than one way. That is what my whole point of makeability is about. And then I am not even adressing the issue of empirical proof for that list. But that is just my opinion and letting my “freaky” flag fly:-)

        • Variety is the spice of life – that’s what makes differing opinions so great. Without them, life would be dull indeed.

          I think we’ll have to “agree to disagree” on this issue Pepita. I respect your opinion, but there’s no illusion here. This list is based on my own 15 years of experience helping both large companies and small businesses build effective brands.

          It can be done. It’s not too hard for an entrepreneur who’s willing to invest the time and effort. And even though the questions can be answered in more than one way, when you balance them against each other a pattern will emerge that you can take action on.

          Finally, no brand is “perfect” when it’s initially launched. There are always things that can be adjusted to make it more effective – which is why it’s important to continue tweaking and honing your brand over time.

          Thanks for your feedback, and by all means, keep letting that “freak flag” fly. 🙂

  25. Wow that is some list to mull over. I think I will have to agree with Pepita, the fact that you have listed so many in the list makes it seem incredibly difficult the task is.

  26. Logan, this is one of the best articles I’ve read on Copyblogger and you’ve got a lot of competition here! I specifically logged onto Copyblogger this morning because one of the largest radio stations in Atlanta somehow came across my website and want to interview me on the air this Friday and of course this is the first place I came to for advice.

    Being a guest speaker is an incredible opportunity for my company but I’m freaking out wondering how to represent my company and entice people to visit my site (and buy my product of course). I hope branding is the answer.

    Thank you again for this great article. And if you’re not too busy maybe you can churn out a quick article on “How to Shine If You Land a Guest Spot on the Radio” – any time before Friday would be good!

    Jennifer
    http://www.EightyEightPercent.com

  27. Excellent article!
    I will print the item to have on hand.

    If all brands see this article mainly the new brands would be helpful.

    Greetings

  28. Logan, wow! What an output!

    I love tip #125. It’s easy to forget that brand doesn’t stop at marketing material.

    To add to what you said to ‘infuse everything you do in your brand’, I recommend creating really good templates for your documents. If you’re creating a report for a customer, or spreadsheet or slideshow or a diagram for your report, these should also be consistent with your brand.

    When the company I work for implemented its brand in 2003, I was responsible for what I call ‘practical implementation’ of the brand: the things outside of marketing that are required to make the brand practical to use by everyone within the company.

    I was tasked with implementing the style sheet created by the designers, and turning their pretty pictures of document pages and slides into usable, and I emphasise ‘usable’, MS Office templates. It was a considerable task. I also developed a style manual (not the same as #114) to ensure there were clear instructions for documentation standards to ensure consistency. I’m repeating the exercise to implement our brand using Office 2010.

    Templates and a style manual are the best enablers I know of for preparing consistent documents for your customers.

    • Great point Mark. Templates are a great way to ensure brand consistency across documents that you produce on a regular basis (like the ones you mentioned).

  29. Hi Logan,

    I’ve subscribed to Copyblogger for quite sometime but when I’ve read this on my email, I think it’s exactly what I needed. So I had the urge to repost it on my blog and latter decided to take it down because you did a great job and you sure don’t deserve a replica. Well researched and well written, thank you for sharing! 🙂

  30. This is an incredibly comprehensive list that really helps bring about focus when tackling branding and communications strategy. It’s so important for businesses to understand that a brand isn’t a logo or a website, but rather an identity communicated through those tools and in many other ways as well.

  31. I loved the article. It was in depth and cover quite a bit of ground. I hope we can take much of what is listed here to brand out products.

  32. Logan –

    You’ve captured not only the particulars but the full sweep of the key point most all of us face – defining, living, and effectively communicating our brand. You’ve laid out a remarkable group of extremely useful, actionable, concise, and well-written topics, each of which deserves our attention.

    Thanks very much for your great post!

  33. I agree with most of the comments referring to this post as a great tool for training or pre-consulting work for clients. Nice job. Some of my students are excited about branding themselves but may get stuck when they try to move forward with getting started. This type of list can serve as a catalyst to get someone “un-stuck”.

    I’ll pass this on. Thanks.

    Victor

  34. A magnifying lens can be used to focus sunlight (energy) and create a fire. This may take a while, but the effort will have been worth it.

    This article is a very powerful “magnifying lens”. If used, it can provide you with a great deal of focus. True, it may take some time… but the effort is worth it!

    Thanks for the fabulous post. Lookin’ forward to going over the list for myself and getting super-focused.

  35. This is truly amazing advice. I am thankful you have given it away to us for free. I have copied all the questions into a word doc where I will answer them all in detail for myself. These are all crucial questions to know the answer to in order to provide a seamless user experience.

    Thanks so much!

  36. Logan,
    Wow what a list! Great information and a lot to process. It’s basically my entire Master’s degree in one blog post and I think it’s awesome. I like how you broke down the 125 tips into categories and particularly like the way you ordered them. You can’t go anywhere with a brand (be that personal, product, service etc.) without a clear sense of self.
    Thanks for the post! Looking forward to using more of your advice for @brand_uu

    ~Andrea

  37. This article blew me away. The content in it is worth 1000 dollars, I tihnk I will have to go through it few times to get as much from it as I can. Thanks a lot Logan. Looking forward to reading more from you.
    Greg

  38. Great Stuff. I am using this as a guide line with my sales team as also my PR & Ad Agency.
    David.

  39. I love these thought-provoking introspective questions. “Know thyself” is such a wise moniker for any type of entrepreneur. Before you can sell a brand, you must start with a clean mental slate. You need to make sure your long and short term goals are realistic and that you’re emotionally prepared for whatever waves come your way. It also helps to enjoy the process and live in the moment, which is what I focused on in my blog this week.

  40. I started my firm in 2005 and came out the gate with personal branding. Like real estate professionals, I put my photo on print materials and our website. With social media, we’ve been able to grow our community. What frustrates me is when I check out folks’ Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages and cannot make out what they do. It’s important to know because we log that information in our CRM system. Even more frustrating are the folks that have several websites, services and products that are not really inter-related and I am left wondering – who are you? what do you really do? what is your expertise?

  41. This is an excellent set of questions to serve as a filter and review, as others have said. Well done! However (admittedly based upon a very quick skim-read), I don’t see where you have asked the crucial question of “Why?”. Without understanding the “Why” (of “What” companies and consumers do, and “how” they do it), then the Product/Service and its Branding will be lacking, in my opinion. And the “Consumer Why” will usually be unarticulated. Discerning that is the key to success of companies from Apple and Amazon to P&G.

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