I'm asked all the time what exactly branding is, and how it relates to building a business. As something I've built my career around, I want people to have a better understanding of what branding is why you need to be considering it as a businessperson. In this presentation I go over the basics of branding, and eight ways it will change the way you operate your business forever.

1. W H A T T H E H E C K
I S B R A N D I N G ?
A N D H O W I T G I V E S Y O U R B U S I N E S S T H E L I F T I T N E E D S

2. B R A N D I N G
I D E N T I T Y
You’ve probably heard words like
being thrown around.
&

3. But finding the actual
of those words isn’t easy.
M E A N I N G

4. In fact, the idea of branding
being given attention
from the business world.
I S O N L Y N O W

5. B R A N D I N G
C R U C I A L .
T H E T H I N G I S . . .
I S

6. Business folks often
talk about things like
&
M A R K E T I N G
S E L L I N G

7. T O O L S
But both marketing and selling
are simply
used to materialize a brand
after it’s been created.

8. To give you a proper idea of
what branding is,
I’m going to oversimplify it.

9. B R A N D I N G I S P L A Y I N G A N
A C T I V E R O L E I N H O W Y O U R
I S
B U S I N E S S
P E R C E I V E D .

10. There. That wasn’t so bad, right?

11. You might ask,
“What’s the alternative to
developing your brand?”

12. Well, when we focus on
things that should come
after the brand...

13. A S A W H O L E .
W E G O A G A I N S T
T H E B U S I N E S S

14. Not developing your brand
might work for a while.

15. If you have...
· A perfected product or service
· A loyal customer base
· Remarkable customer service and interaction
· Small communities in which you can thrive
then you might be fine.

16. But do you have all those things?
Probably not.

17. And even if you do,
you probably have much
for your business than
where you are right now.
L A R G E R D R E A M S

18. So if you don’t have a plan
for how your business should be
you’ll never reach those dreams.
P E R C E I V E D

19. G I V E S Y O U A
R O A D M A P.
B R A N D
D E V E L O P M E N T

20. Instead of “trying something”
in your ad campaign
a developed brand allows you
to know what will work.

21. or at least have a
pretty good idea.( (

22. How does this road map
benefit you in the long run?
Here are eight major ways
a crafted brand can help
your business.

23. B R A N D
R E C O G N I T I O N
1

24. B R A N D R E C O G N I T I O N
Brand recognition
is the ability of the public
to identify your brand.

25. B R A N D R E C O G N I T I O N
In the 1800s, cattle were marked, or “branded,”
with a distinctive letter or shape to ward off
thieves and ensure the livestock was associated
with a certain owner and property.

26. B R A N D R E C O G N I T I O N
It wasn’t long before a brand started to be
associated with quality, personality, and other
consistency factors.

27. B R A N D R E C O G N I T I O N
People began to realize that they could “say”
something about whatever they were selling
without actually saying anything at all.

28. B R A N D R E C O G N I T I O N
This is the value of brand recognition, or brand
awareness. Your reputation precedes you in
the marketplace. People associate your history
and your consistency with your brand.

29. S T A N D I N G
F O R
S O M E T H I N G2

30. S T A N D I N G F O R S O M E T H I N G
Standing for something larger than just your
product is essential in today’s marketplace.

31. S T A N D I N G F O R S O M E T H I N G
To be an advocate for something bigger than just
what you’re selling means you are connecting
with people who agree with you.

32. S T A N D I N G F O R S O M E T H I N G
See, when you begin the process of branding,
you look first to who you are selling to—the
people who are buying your stuff.

33. S T A N D I N G F O R S O M E T H I N G
When you strike a chord with those people,
you’ve demonstrated that you are on an equal
level, actually caring about something other
than making money.

34. E X P R E S S I N G
Y O U R V A L U E S
W H E N Y O U C A N ’ T
3

35. E X P R E S S I N G Y O U R V A L U E S W H E N Y O U C A N ’ T
This should be a really eye-catching point
for salespeople.When a brand is developed
correctly, it will sell for you.

36. E X P R E S S I N G Y O U R V A L U E S W H E N Y O U C A N ’ T
Correct branding will connect with the ideal
customer you’re trying to reach, and convey
the passion, position, and personality
behind your brand.

37. E X P R E S S I N G Y O U R V A L U E S W H E N Y O U C A N ’ T
Do you realize how significant that is? That means
you don’t have to do as much work selling your
brand because your consumer already understands
what you’re all about. That is huge!

38. E Q U I T Y
4

39. E Q U I T Y
At a certain point, your brand is considered
to be a business asset, and is even given a
monetary value.

40. That speaks for itself when it comes to the value of
a brand—when you’ve built a good one, it allows
your business to be worth even more than your
revenue and other tangible assets.
E Q U I T Y

41. 5T H E M A R K E T
K E E P I N G U P W I T H

42. The market is changing...constantly.
No matter what business you’re in, being able to
adjust to your market is a crucial part of operating
a business.
K E E P I N G U P W I T H T H E M A R K E T

43. Having an established brand allows you to have a
jumping-off point, but being able to shape that
brand to cater to your customer’s needs is the
mark of a truely prolific organization.
K E E P I N G U P W I T H T H E M A R K E T

44. This is easy once you have a brand that’s already
created. You just have to test one aspect of your
branding at a time to see what changes.
It’s like experimenting in science class.
K E E P I N G U P W I T H T H E M A R K E T

45. 6A U D I T Y O U R
B U S I N E S S
A C H A N C E T O

46. I don’t mean tax season audit...
I mean like taking an in-depth look at how your
business works, and this time you’re seeing it
through the lens of your brand.
A C H A N C E T O A U D I T Y O U R B U S I N E S S

47. If you’ve been around for a while, chances are
good that you have some paperwork, processes,
or even departments that could use some
serious consideration.
A C H A N C E T O A U D I T Y O U R B U S I N E S S

48. Some questions to ask yourself at this stage are:
1. Am I using people to their fullest potential?
2. Are my processes allowing my customer to get the
most ideal representation of your brand?
3. Is every part of my business customer-centric?
A C H A N C E T O A U D I T Y O U R B U S I N E S S

49. 7D E C I S I O N M A K I N G
S I M P L I F Y I N G

50. I love talking about this with my clients. A great
part of having an established brand identity is that
it makes business decisions easy.
S I M P L I F Y I N G D E C I S I O N M A K I N G

51. All you have to do is ask yourself “does this make
sense for the identity of my business?” and
chances are good that you’ll know the answer.
S I M P L I F Y I N G D E C I S I O N M A K I N G

52. 8Y O U R C U S T O M E R
L E A R N I N G M O R E A B O U T

53. This might be the second most valuable benefit
of branding. Remember, your business exists
because of your customer.
L E A R N I N G M O R E A B O U T Y O U R C U S T O M E R

54. And so does your branding. Actually, the very
process of branding (at least the way I prefer
to do it!) requires figuring out what kinds of
people are most likely to buy your product.
L E A R N I N G M O R E A B O U T Y O U R C U S T O M E R

55. Doesn’t that just make it easier for everyone?
That means you’re not wasting money advertising
to people who don’t want your stuff, they’re time
isn’t wasted learning about stuff they don’t want.
L E A R N I N G M O R E A B O U T Y O U R C U S T O M E R

56. I created this presentation
because I want people like you
to understand what exactly
is, and why it’s important.
B R A N D I N G

57. Was this helpful for you?
Do you feel like you have a better idea
of what branding is?
Leave a comment below, even just to say
“yes” so I know I should keep making these!

58. L E A R N I N G M O R E B R A N D I N G A T
M I C H A E L J K E E S E E . C O M
A N D A L S O
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