Once you’ve established the emotional core of your brand, as a person or a company, be sure everything you do aligns with that emotion.
In our digital age, everyone is supposed to clearly communicate what they stand for, much as companies do with their logo, mascot, content and employee/customer interactions. So while conventional wisdom holds that people are now brands, I respond that brands are also people. We connect with brands as we connect with each other, on a personal, emotional level.
That’s why people identify with Apple instead of Dell. It’s why Chipotle can recover from E. coli outbreaks. And it’s how President Clinton still inspires adulation everywhere he goes. His personal branding hits it out of the park.
If you don’t foster emotional connection, as a person or a company, then you will never cut through the competitive clutter. Emotions convert. Words, actions and pictures alone do not. They are essential, of course, but unless they resonate with positive emotions, your brand, personal or professional, will miss the mark.
Petsmart, for example, asks, 'What’s your baby’s name?' when you book a grooming appointment. Smart, Petsmart! It shows they understand the emotional transference that occurs when people talk about their pets. That question comforts the caller: yes, Petsmart gets it. They will treat my baby like their baby.
Don’t be afraid to get personal whether you are branding yourself or your company. We live in the Age of Personality and the emotions your personality evokes are what counts.
By Lalita Khosla