An outline of key factors that an organization needs to plan, perform, maintain and control in their strategic goal to build a brand, rebrand, advance brand placement and perception in the market and/or gain greater brand ROI.

Establish brand foundations

  • Organization
  • History / Origin
  • Frame your Story
  • Vision and Mission
  • Value Proposition
  • Health and Stability
  • Competitors and Rivalries
  • Differentiators
  • Core Competencies
  • Disciplines
  • Culture
  • Style Guide: Logo, Colors, Fonts, Symbols and Graphics
  • Earned, Owned, Shared and Paid Channels
  • Brand Orientation (inside) and Market Orientation (outside)
  • DAM (Digital Asset Management) System

Compose brand lens

  • Audit
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Evaluation & Comparison
  • Equity and Assets
  • Angle and Perspective
  • Authenticity
  • Flow
  • Tailoring
  • Points of Parity to distinguish the Brand
  • Clarity and Presence

Form brand structure

  • Reputation, Expertise and Authority
  • Thought Leaders
  • Intelligence
  • Esteem and Pride
  • Trust and Ethical Practices
  • Nature and Personality
  • Framework of Expressions
  • Methods of Contribution
  • Brand Image
  • Ways to Cultivate Content

Create brand components

  • Products
  • Services
  • Subscriptions / Memberships
  • Packaging / Labels / Inserts
  • Advertising
  • Social
  • In-Person
  • Digital
  • Mobile
  • Physical Locations
  • Collateral and Physical Assets
  • Visuals
  • People
  • Customer Service
  • Voice and Messaging Style
  • Platforms

Design brand elements

  • Logo
  • Colors and White Space
  • Fonts and Graphical Messaging
  • Taglines
  • Titles and Heading Level
  • Images, Icons, Symbols
  • Design Differentiators
  • Rules, Margins, Borders
  • Navigation
  • Frameset
  • Triggers and Call to Actions

Amplify brand discovery

  • Awareness
  • Organic Reach
  • Rate of Exposure
  • Tactical Positioning
  • Ecosystem Penetration

Build brand strategy

  • Compelling Content Tailored to the Channel
  • Social Listening and Interaction
  • Align with Customer Behaviors and Attitude
  • Boosting and Scaling
  • Organic Growth (meta, tags and links)
  • Recognizing and Removing Barriers to Entry
  • Campaigns, Promotions, Contests, Incentives
  • Loyalty and Advocacy Rewards
  • Tying Exposure to Goals
  • Publishing Cadence, Timing and Frequency

Research and Market Awareness

  • Industry Trends
  • Markets and Direct Competition
  • Insights and Knowledge
  • Search Terms and Keywords

Brand audience

  • Mass Markets
  • B2B, B2C, D2C, C2C, C2B
  • Professional, Personal, Private
  • Followers
  • Advocates
  • Influencers
  • Public Attitude and Sentiment
  • Emotional Triggers
  • Resonating Factors
  • Relevancy
  • Convenience
  • Value (perceived and real)
  • Connection
  • Habits, Modes, Routines
  • Preferred Touch Points

Cultivate brand relations

  • Engagement
  • Responsiveness and Impact
  • Nurturing and Reinforcement
  • Intention and Impression
  • Retention and Repetition
  • Social and Community
  • Accessibility
  • Brand Outreach
  • Associations and Partnerships

Foster brand reputation

  • Surveys and Feedback
  • Reviews, Testimonials, Recommendations
  • Lines of Communication (internal and external)
  • Routing Inquiries – Chain of Command
  • Flow Charts and Diagrams for Points of Contact
  • Maintain Subject Matter Experts
  • Avoid Bottlenecks
  • Prearrange Responses to Common Comments
  • Escalate Serious and Sensitive Issues
  • Neutralize Negative Assertions, Claims and Criticism
  • Action Plan for Response Approvals and Dissemination
  • Trust Restoration Processes
  • Monitor for Bots
  • Prevent Trolls and Harassment
  • Document and Record Activities
  • Hold Trainings, Drills and Lessons Learned Exercises

Institute brand management

  • Who has Brand Ownership and Serves as Leader
  • Establish Brand Supporters and Champions
  • Public Relations and Brand Management
  • Strategy for Poor Performing Touch Points
  • Monitor and Measure Brand Performance
  • Identify Potential Vulnerabilities
  • Prevention of Confidence Erosion
  • Mitigating Impact of Brand Damage

Prepare for “What If”

  • Negative Brand Experiences
  • Diffuse Instances of Letdown
  • Handle Offensive Incidents
  • Work Through Setbacks
  • Overcome Crisis Moments
  • Remedies for Mistakes
  • Rectify a Failure

Measure brand goals and performance

  • Quantify [mentions, requests, visits]
  • Qualitative [engagement, reviews, advocates]
  • SOV (share of voice)
  • SOC (share of communication)
  • Purchasing Signals
  • Competitor Intelligence
  • Track Links and Performance
  • Actionable Metrics vs Vanity Metrics
  • Benchmarks and KPIs
  • Reporting and Analysis

Net Promoter Score

  • measures customer satisfaction
  • identifies promoters, neutral, and detractors
  • ranges from -100 to +100
  • a score over 0 is considered ‘good’
  • +50 or higher is ‘excellent’