When you hear the words “brand experience” what comes to mind? Do you instantly think of a good or bad memory? For me, my first business stay at the Ritz Carlton in Washington DC instantly comes to mind. Circa 2000 at age 23 and driving a 1993 Toyota Corolla, I was clearly NOT the desired/target guest (but I inspired to be her). Yet, when I pulled up, the Ritz employee warmly greeted me and directed me to the front lobby. As I walked into the lobby, I immediately noticed the stunning bouquet of fresh flowers and the aroma of orchids filled the room. I fell in love. And every detail – seriously, every detail – over the next 24 hours matched my immediate impression: The Ritz Carlton – elegant, welcoming and beautiful. And I wanted to be a part of it.

So what made my brand experience at the Ritz Carlton so incredible?  It was not just one thing but a cohesive story that gained my trust and admiration. Sure, the Ritz Carlton is part of a Fortune 100 company yet as business owners, we can also build a brand experience that earns trust and builds a loyalty too.

Creating a brand is a big step. So, to start, we’re going to address three common misconceptions and how to avoid using them in your business. And then we’ll conclude with ideas to get started building a unique and profitable brand experience for your business.

1. Your logo is your brand

Your logo is one way that your customers have been trained to recognize your business but it is not your brand. Your brand tells a story with each customer’s experience through each brand touch point. Trust is formed by a consistent brand experience from the first interaction on instagram, to customer service after an inquiry is sent, and the final deliverables that carry that ‘wow’ factor. It’s an experience that exceeds expectations. Our customers expect brands to know them so well that the entire experience makes them feel like they ‘get me’ and they have found ‘their people’.

2. Only the sales team sells your services

Every person that interacts with your clients is part of the sales team. How they speak or how they dress communicate the brand’s story. A local tree and landscape maintenance company cares for homes valued at $500,000+. They have two Sales Associates and over twenty Service Technicians. Since Service Technicians were often at clients’ homes weekly or monthly, Management empowered each Service Technician to be an extension of the sales force and recommend and sell services to clients as needed. Each Service Technician received a commission for the sale.  In addition to creating a culture of service, this company also created a culture of excellence. Therefore, each Service Technician was also responsible for maintaining a clean vehicle and uniform because both were seen by clients. By approaching sales as a team commitment, the tree and landscape company saw their profits increase and employee turnover decrease.

3.  Creating your brand story is a solo project

Every.Single.Business can benefit from an outside perspective. We’d be honored to work with you to create a brand story experience that garners trust and leads to profits.

Yes, it’s March already and the first quarter is coming to a close. The good news is that three-quarters of the year is still open to get started on creating a unique brand story experience. At the end of the day, any business is about understanding people, connecting with people, and helping people. Knowing your brand story is the first step to connecting with YOUR people to form trust and earn loyalty.

Want to get started?  Connect with us here. We would love to hear from you! 

We’re also launching our first ever workshop for startup businesses!! We’ve been hand crafting this workshop for all you local startups and entrepreneurs who are deeply passionate about your business and feel like you want some professional guidance with branding to help you reach your full potential – stay tuned for all the details THIS WEEK!

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words by heather – coo