3 Ways to Build Your Brand (Part 2)

Now that you have begun to give careful consideration to how you, your company, or your church are being perceived it's time to move to the next facet of building your brand which involves strategic PROMOTION.

Promotion is concerned with getting the word out about the service that you provide and more importantly how it will benefit your audience. Letting people know that you have an 11 o'clock worship service is great but simply announcing that isn't effective promotion. You have to promote the fact that lives are being changed each week, marriages are being restored, the community is being transformed; SOMETHING is happening there! Promote that.

An invitation is just information if it doesn't provide an incentive for it's acceptance.

You have to promote the "WHY?"

If you're promoting your business don't just share the address, share about the stellar service that you provide. Share about how you will not stop until your customers are satisfied. Share testimonials from customers who can confirm that you are telling the truth.

If you are promoting yourself as a possible employee you can't just tell the manager that you are available. Tell them how you plan to make their life easier. Tell them how you can support the company's vision. Tell them how you are not in it for the money but your performance will demonstrate that you will be an asset and not a liability.

When pushing your promotions to the next level you have to promote the benefits of using you and not just that you are available to be used. It's an open market and there are hundreds of other companies, thousands of other churches and millions of other possible employees so why should they choose you? On every flyer, commercial, resume or promo you have to promote the why.

Where to promote

Conventional wisdom would suggest that you begin by promoting on your own website and that's a great start but it certainly cannot be the end of your efforts.

You have to put yourself or your organization anywhere your target audience's eyes are looking. If you want to reach young adults why not place your logo and an encouragement on the napkins at a club? If you want to reach soccer moms why not donate coolers with your website on them filled with all the liquid refreshment a team can drink to the teams in a local league next season? If you want to reach techies why not host a contest where a web designer can design your next website and receive a ton of free gear for winning. Do you think they wouldn't brag about their work? Guess where they would send their friends to see it??? You guessed it, your website!

You have to be creative and place your brand (or yourself) where your audience is. In this age of technology it is possible to place yourself in front of more people than ever before. I would suggest going beyond your own website and going to where the people are (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) because with a million other options out there competing for your audience's attention you have to work for their time. When you're fortunate enough to get a few moments of it as they look at your posters, read your resume, or view your commercial be sure to share "why" it was not a waste of their time.

What creative ideas have you used in promoting yourself or your organization?

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3 Ways to Build Your Brand (Part 1)

As I celebrate 20,000+ video views on Youtube I thought I would use a few posts to discuss brand building. How does one build a solid brand? This is an important question to ask whether you're a CEO of a multilevel organization that you want to expand, a pastor of a church that you desire to see flourish or an employee that desires to remain gainfully employed. All of us are involved in personal or professional branding of some sort but what are some keys that can help us to brand well? That's what I will be focusing on in the next few posts. The first element that we must factor into effective branding is PERCEPTION.

What are you known for?

Branding is all about perception. What are you known for? Starbucks is known for white cups and delicious coffee. Burger King is known for (whether they actually come through or not) being the place where "you can have it your way." Apple Computers are known for..well, working and the truth of the matter is that YOU are known for something too.

It may be for coming in late or it may be for staying late.
It may be for taking short cuts or for coming through no matter what.
It may be for being reliable or for being a crap shoot but you can rest assured that when people think of you, your company or your church something comes to mind.

Control Your Image

The key to successful branding is to control the image that comes to mind when your name comes up in conversation. You can do this by consistently reflecting the image that you would like for people to think of when they think of you or your organization. Perceptions are built by consistency. In other words you can't expect for people to think of excellence when your work often appears shoddy and poorly prepared. You can't expect for people to think that your church is welcoming when you fuss at everyone from the stage and no one speaks to each other before or after service. You can't expect for people to think of your business as convenient when your marketing strategy only makes business convenient for you. In order for your audience to develop a positive perception of you, you must perform in a positive manner time and time again.

This does not happen over night but the more you reflect the image that you speak of in your company's mission, your church's vision or your personal goals the more others will begin to see you this way. You may have some naysayers along the way speaking otherwise but your consistency will speak for you.

Whether it's your campaign, your promotability or your bottom line you have to give careful thought to how you are being perceived.

Therefore, the first step to building your brand is to be mindful of how you will be perceived through every publication, Tweet, Facebook status, conversation, interaction, transaction, sermon, assignment etc. because perception is built brick by brick and once it's built it's difficult to renovate.

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Hope, Healing, & The Hunger Games

A week ago a friend and I decided to check out the new movie The Hunger Games. I enjoyed the movie but walked out of the theater thinking that I was glad that this was only a fiction. I couldn't imagine living in a world that revolved around a brutal competition where there could only be one winner and everyone else loses. It would be crazy to have to always look over your shoulder not knowing who would try to take you out...come to think of it, this isn't that hard to image after all.

Hunger Games?

A few days after watching the movie I noticed an interesting article on Facebook that expressed how many of the fans of the books were upset because of the members of the cast in the movie that were black. I was blown away by the racism that dripped from their statements. You would have thought that we had been teleported back to 1965 and as I read I realized that there are real life "hunger games" taking place every day. There are people who believe that there can only be one winner and their race, group, church, or organization has to be it and they will fight to the death to gain the upper hand at any cost.

Hungry Indeed

I believe that this "dog eat dog" mentality is a symptom of a deeper problem, a hunger in our hearts for the Word of God. The Bible says that a person can keep their way pure by living according to God's Word (Psalm 119:9). Therefore, we desperately need God's Word to clear out the racisms, favoritism and selfishness in our lives. Every time these things raise their head in our hearts it's like a spiritual hunger pain telling us that we're hungry for a Word from God that can only be found in the pages of the Bible. I dare you to fill your face with God's Word as much as you do with your favorite meal and see how your heart begins to change. God's Word can provide healing to the hurtful areas in your heart unlike anything else this world can provide. The Hunger games has sold over 3 million copies in America alone. I wonder what would happen if 3 million young people began to feast on God's Word. The World would never be the same! I believe it's possible and it starts with you today.

Have Something To Eat

If you have never tried to read the Bible for yourself, I dare you to begin to make it a part of your every day routine. You don't have to start by reading entire books at a time but I dare you to begin to "snack" on the Bible each day by reading a few chapters at a time and watch your hope for the future begin to rise. I've recently started a great program called Eat This Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm, you can check it out by clicking here . This will help you begin to "Eat God's Word" (figuratively speaking), apply it to your life, and handle the hunger that you may not even have noticed was there. The great thing about it is that, unlike the movie, there can be a lot more than one winner. Odds are, most people don't read the Bible as much as I'm challenging you to but, "May the odds ever be in your favor!"

Happy Hunger Games!

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Sandwiches & Scriptures

The Sandwich

This weekend has been amazing! I have had a chance to workout, go to church, do some spring cleaning and get some extra writing completed (not in order of importance). Not only have I gotten several things accomplished that I had planned but I have also had a chance to try some things that I hadn't. For example, I didn't plan to go to the mall with a friend on Friday and try one of the best sandwiches in the WORLD. It's called a "Reuben" and it is all kinds of amazing. It is a tasty stack of cold cuts, cheese, italian dressing and sauerkraut on rye bread. Don't think it sounds good? That's alright, I didn't think so either. At first glance it didn't sound tempting but since I try to stay open to new experiences I decided to take a leap of faith and try it anyway. I'm glad I did!

The Point

What brought this sandwich to mind at the moment was a combination of factors.

1.) I'm hungry

2.) I was reading a book with some thoughts of John Wesley.

Wesley had quite a bit to say about the importance of studying the Bible and that was interesting enough, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the significance of starting and ending (or "sandwiching") our days with the scriptures. Wesley believed that when we start the day with the a study of God's Word we shape our thinking for the remainder of the day. We become more God conscious as we go throughout our daily routines because we have spent some time talking to God before our day begins.

Not only is it important to start the day with the Bible but it is just as important to end the day with the Bible because at the end of the day we are able to pause to reflect on how we handled things and how we could have been a better reflection of the image of God. When we are able to do this we can pray for forgiveness of our shortcomings and ask for strength not to make the same mistakes next time. Studying at the end of the day is like the top piece of bread that holds the sandwich together; sure one piece of bread would do but it's just better to have two isn't it?

What Now?

Now lets go make some sandwiches! I dare you to begin to start & end your day by reading the Bible and watch how God begins to change what takes place in between.

**How has quiet time with the Bible changed your day?

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A Generation is Rising!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to speak for a College Day at a church in the city. I had high expectations for the worship experience and what I saw truly exceeded my expectations. Not only was the praise and worship remarkable but there were powerful theatrical productions incorporated into the worship experience, all courtesy of the young adults (remember this, it will make sense in a moment). The message went over exceptionally well and I'm thankful for that but what has stood out in my mind as I reflect over the day is the hunger that I saw in the eyes of the young people. You must understand that the message that I had to share was not a "God's going to give you everything you want if you can just hold on through this semester." The message was a challenge to allow the LORD to help us to master all of the sins that are trying to stop us from becoming all that God wants us to be. There was a challenge to remove the mask & step out in faith to begin to master our flesh with the help of Christ.

In the midst of this challenging message an interesting thing happened...dozens of young adults admitted that they were tired of the same ol' same and were ready to make a change. Now I know you could say, "anyone can come up to an altar but what God desires is sincere change" and I agree, but who is to say that what took place today was not sincere change? I would like to think that it was. I would like to think that what we experienced today in Memphis was a small indication that transformation has begun to take place in our communities and it is starting with the next generation. I was inspired by what I saw today and I hope this meager attempt to describe it has inspired you. If you have ever thought that things are going down the drain and the nation is in a state of decline take heart, there is a generation rising that God can use to turn things around. From what I experienced today I am convinced that not only is it going to happen...IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN!

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Burger King, Branding and Broken Promises

Branding is an effort to shape your reputation. It's an attempt to convince people that you are who you say you are. With such being the case, it always requires making promises somehow. Promises very from business to business and from person to person but every professional makes them in one way or another. Some companies make promises that they'll get a package delivered in rain, sleet, or snow. Some people make promises that they'll complete an assignment efficiently and effectively. Some churches make promises that they will welcome anyone that comes though their doors with the love of Jesus. Whatever your market or industry, you are probably a part of a daily effort to build a brand on the back of promises. This can be helpful if your company (or you as an employee) become known for consistently coming through on your promises but it can also destroy your business or personal potential for growth when you fail to follow through with what you say you will provide.

I saw this clearly over the course of the past week. Since I am usually on the move, I often eat fast food. Up to a few days ago my food of choice was a burger from Burger King. A flame broiled burger made just how I like it? Count me in! I was a frequent customer until I made the decision that had finally had enough of their broken promises. What promises you ask? Well, Burger King has built a brand on the back of a promise to let you "Have it your way" but the past few times (actually 3 in a row at completely separate locations) I chose them over their competitors I was faced with the disappointment of yet another broken promise. I kindly asked for no onions on my burger (not world peace, just no onions) and they failed to come through. In fact, it's almost as if they added more onions just because I asked for a burger without them. This would not have been a problem at McDonald's because I would have expected to have to peel them off myself but since Burger King has built their brand on the promise of completing my order as I requested it, the margin for error is a lot smaller. Since they have consistently failed to come through I have decided to step away from "the King" and allow someone else to reign. No more burgers for me (as far as they're concerned) and it's all because of their failure to keep their promises.

What does this have to do with you?

Are you failing to receive the promotions and new opportunities that you desire? Are your sales down this quarter? Are you losing business, revenue or fresh assignments? Perhaps it's because you have been providing a bogus bill of goods to your employer, customers or clients. Maybe they have heard one too many broken promises from you. You said that you could get the deal completed before the deadline and didn't. You said that you were willing to stay late when needed and haven't. You said that you were self-motivated and aren't, and maybe the people you serve have just had enough. If this describes you don't be offended, be inspired. Be inspired to change your behavior. Be inspired to change your approach to business. Be inspired to make a personal commitment to begin to come through on the promises that you make on a daily basis.

If you say you can do it, do it. If you say you can provide it, provide it. If you say you're willing to offer it, offer it but if you're not willing to put your money where your mouth is, it's best to not make the promise in the first place. Build your brand based on what you can do and not just what you think your boss or customer wants to hear because they may look over your broken promise once or twice but after a while your brand (or you as an employee) will become known not for your remarkable branding, but for the promises that you're continuously breaking...and who wants to keep paying for that?

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Reality Check

Today is the second day of the second month of the year. I believe that this is a great time to see where we're heading and whether or not we're on target to achieve all of the things that we want to accomplish this year.The first day of the year is often a time filled with dreams, ambitions & goals and many of us have made resolutions that we wanted to implement in our lives to get where we have always wanted to be. Now that a month has already come and gone we are faced with a reality check. As we begin February of this new year we have to ask ourselves, "Am I closer to my dreams today than I was on New Year's Eve?" This can be a challenging question but it is necessary if we are going to break the cycle of mediocrity and move into higher levels of success.

Have you developed better work habits? Have you begun to use your time more wisely? Have you actually started working out like you said you would? What have you done with the dreams that you developed as you celebrated the beginning of the year? It's time for a reality check because you only have 11 more months to accomplish what you've set out to do this year but if you refuse to change your habits you will find yourself shifting into next year in the same position that you were in last year. You don't have that kind of time to waste. God is able to do more through you than that and you know you're expecting God to do more for you than that so buckle down, face reality and do whatever you have to do to add works to your faith because "faith without works is dead." If you have faith that God is able to do more in your life than you're seeing right now you're going to have to be willing to step up and add some some works to that faith right now.

One month is already gone. That was 5 weeks, 2 pay periods and 31 days to make forward strides toward the life you've been dreaming of. What did you do with them? I know this may come off as somewhat of a harsh message but I believe in you too much to let 11 more months go by without challenging you to make the most of every one of them. I faced reality this morning and refocused to make the most of the rest of the year. I challenge you to do the same. If you desire a new life, it's time to start walking toward it now because the "reality" is that if you don't take steps toward it, it is highly unlikely that you will ever step into it.

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