Special Edition Sherpa’s Talking Shop Vlog – A Casual Riff on Brand

Sherpa Marketing Account Manager Michael McCaffrey  is the host of a special edition Sherpa’s Talking Shop Vlog, where the topic is a casual riff on brand.

We, at Sherpa, define brand as: the sum total of people’s experiences with your business.
This means that, your brand is not defined by what you say about it, but rather what other people think, say, and perceive about your brand. 

There is a great deal of emphasis put on confirming that the message that is being delivered is the right one; one that truly reflects who your brand is as a company. A lot of time and money is spent on ensuring our brand’s message is consistent throughout all channels, but why? Why does brand matter?

Consider Starbucks. What are your first thoughts when you think about this famous company?

• High Quality
• Consistent
• Good Service
• Green, Black, White
• Hipster

No matter what your first initial thoughts are when you think of Starbucks, you get the same service every time you go to Starbucks; you know what to expect. This familiarity leads to the forming of a bond between you and a brand that grows and strengthens over time. If Starbucks did a commercial featuring  the Six Flags guy, it would look and feel totally out of place. Although this is a clear exaggeration, it shows the importance of always be consistent in your brands message. 

Have you taken a second lately to stop and consider your own personal brand? What do others say about you? How do they perceive you? How do you come across to other people? Your personal brand is shown through what you wear, how you act, what words you choose to use, your mannerisms, etc. Everything about you is creating your own personal message, or own personal brand that those around you experience. 

If you consider how you act around your friends, how you act around your colleagues or clients, are you exuding the same brand across all channels? Perhaps, it doesn’t have to be the same across all those channels. Maybe you have a particular brand you want to emanate in your professional career, but you don’t necessarily want to keep up that same image when you’re relaxing on your downtime with your friends, which is fine. It is however important to spend a bit of time pondering your personal brand, and keep in mind that it isn’t based  on what you say about yourself, however what others say about you. This should cause you to be a bit more mindful about the way you interact, the way you dress, and the things you say. 

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s special edition Sherpa’s Talking Shop vlog. We’ll catch you on the next one! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and like us on Facebook!