Branding

“A brand that captures your mind gains behavior. A brand that captures your heart gains commitment.” - Scott Talgo

“Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it’s not going to get the business.” - Warren Buffett

If I were to ask you “what is your brand?” how would you answer? Would you point to the logo on your T-Shirt or to a sticker on your car? Most people would, but these emblems alone are not your brand. These visual aspects are apart of your brand but they are only pieces to the whole. There are a wealth of marketing terms that you can delve into to help determine what branding is – brand strategy, brand experience, brand message, brand value, brand image, brand promise…and the list goes on. Each of these terms have specific definitions and action steps, but we like to keep it really simple. To us, a brand is your promise to your customers. It is your commitment to your community, it is the story of your company and the mission of your community.  The visual aspects like the logo on your car’s rear window, represent your brand.

Your brand is exemplified in everything you do. It is your team, your customer service, your level of consistency and your commitment. It is your website, your twitter account, your facebook page, your t-shirts, your tumblr account and the flyer you hand out at your free workouts. It is the cleanliness of your facility’s bathroom and the fingerprints on your front window. It is the broken rower that has been sitting in the corner with a sign on it for the past 3 months, the unkept promise to purchase more jump ropes and the email auto response sent to a prospective client. All of these simply add up to what you stand for and whether you realize it or not, create your client’s experience and perspective of your company.

At Central, we look to our mission statement, our core values and our company’s objectives to create our brand. We relentlessly adhere to these to produce the experience we desire for our clients, every time they walk through the door, go to our website or interact with us via social media. Deliver what you promise in every aspect of your brand and let that emblazoned logo on your car window radiate excellence in the consumer’s mind.