Every week we’re talking to 20 to 40 potential new clients and the biggest issue they all have tends to be their brand. They come in, we talk about their company, they talk about needing a new brochure or a new ad and that they needed it yesterday. Most of the time these are great discussions and cover everything from interactive marketing and SEO to new logos and social media marketing. Usually by the end of the meeting what we’ve basically found out is that while they do need a new brochure or website, what they need most is work done on developing or redeveloping their brand.

I ran across a great post a few years back from Brad VanAuken on the Branding Blog on “Building Winning Brands” and 16 things you must do to create a winning brand. Of those 16, my favorite was #10.” A brand must stand for something”. Too many times I’ve run across a client that feels that his logo or his building is his brand. While it might be a great logo and a beautiful building, without meaning or substance for what it stands for(to the customer) it not a brand – it’s just a nice logo and a pretty building. A brand has meaning, especially to the customer.

Here’s the other 15 things Brad talks about that create a winning brand.

1. Brands are personifications of organizations, products, services and experiences and they are the  source of relationships.
2. Top management support is critical.
3. The brand’s identity must be frequently and consistently presented.
4. Customer knowledge is essential to building great brands.
5. The brand and its products and services must exceed customer expectations.
6. Brand building begins with awareness.
7. Relevant differentiation drives customer brand insistence.
8. A brand should strive to evoke emotions and create sensory experiences.
9. A brand should exhibit admirable human qualities.
10. A brand must stand for something.
11. Constant product and service innovation build strong brands.
12. A brand should strive to create a sense of community.
13. The corporate culture must reinforce the brand essence, promise and personality.
14. Internal brand building is essential to external brand building.
15. Front line employees are key to a brand’s success.
16. Co-creating a brand with its customers will help the brand continue to thrive.

If you implement each of these  I guarantee you that your brand will win in its marketplace.