Brand building is world building.
When you create a brand, you’re actually building a world with its own set of rules, methods and ideologies.
For example:
When you go to Disneyland, you expect certain things…
You expect the characters to never take their heads off because it would ruin the fantasy.
You expect the set pieces to have lots of details for you to look at while you stand in line.
You expect the park employees to always be smiling and friendly…
If any of these things were out of place, you’d feel it. It would create a small tear in the fabric of the dream and taint your experience.
Building your brand requires giving thought and careful attention to the experience you create… From how you communicate on your website, to how you communicate in person.
In order to keep things consistent, it’s important to have a philosophy (a concept) and to develop rules that guide the experience.
When you create a brand book, you’re creating the rules and ideas that bind your world together and make the brand cohesive.
These are the rules that guide the entire experience from product, to sales, to support…
That’s why having a shared set of values is important. But it’s not just values…
It’s a clear definition of your style, your tone, and your mission…
And, everyone on the team needs to understand what that mission is.
The people working at Disneyland know what world they’re living in. The people who visit Disneyland know what world they’re entering.
The benefit of all the work you put into brand building is creating a memorable experience for your customers. The consistency of that experience creates trust.
If you’ve built a great world, people will come back because they enjoy spending time there.
It’s funny to think about building a business as building a world. But the same concepts apply.
So how do YOU do that?
Start to think about the rules that have made your business successful.
Then, think about the great experiences you’ve had with other businesses that left an impression…
Did you go into a store and have a memorable interaction?
Did you buy something online and get an amazing thank you email?
Did you meet a community that was so interesting and fun you immediately wanted to join?
Now create the philosophy and set of rules that inspire these experiences.
For Disney it’s “Create the happiest place on Earth.”
For you it might be:
“Take care of people and they’ll take care of you.”
“Make sure people leave happy.”
“Always be honest and transparent in your communication.”
As a business owner, you have the power to curate the experience people have with your business.
Knowing that it’s all in your control is a powerful stand to take.
Build your world so that people come in and know that they’re somewhere special.
You can do it. Put your back into it.
