What is the hallmark of a particularly strong brand, and what lessons can be learned from those traits?
These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs.
1. You’re Always Evolving
“Having consistency and clear message is great, but what makes it even better is a brand that continuously evolves. A comparison between Apple and Nokia are a great example of this. Apple never settled for just one current trend or product that does well. Nokia was the best phone around during its era. Unfortunately, they settled and never got the chance to evolve.”
Fritz Colcol, ABN Circle
2. You’re Obsessed With Your Customers
“No matter what product or service you sell, it all comes down to serving people, because they are at the core of your business. They are the force that keeps you going. All your efforts should be directed at your customers. Whenever you decide to make a change or transform your brand in some way, you have to make sure that you’ll still be able to deliver the best customer or user experience.”
Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
3. You’re Authentic
“The hallmark of any strong brand is authenticity. A brand that is not genuine in the eyes of consumers will fail to resonate. Even extremely strong brands that have been cultivated by people who may seem inauthentic are, in fact, authentic in that they ultimately accurately reflect the curator of the brand. When building your brand, understand who and what you are, and embrace it.”
Adam Mendler, The Veloz Group
4. You Know How to Tell a Great Story
“Human beings are natural storytellers. The act of storytelling cements social bonds, instills values and acts as a powerful way to bring your brand to life. A strong brand will know who its audience is and create a story that they most identify with. An effective brand story will show what you do and how you do it, and will make the audience want to be a part of your story, too.”
Shu Saito, Godai Soaps
5. You Have a Consistent Presence
“The top traits of successful brands are that it’s competitive, distinct, involves passion and is consistent. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box. Make sure the brand is expressed across all marketing materials. Show some emotion and make sure that the brand continues to resonate with your loyal customers.”
Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
6. You Emotionally Connect With Your Customers
“Strong brands are designed around emotions. They capture our hearts and inspire our souls. The all-time greatest brands do this in a variety of ways, formats (visually, through storytelling, etc.) and spaces (online, in-person or somewhere in-between). People are moved by their emotions, and the brands that know how to connect with us personally are the ones we are the most loyal to.”
Amber Anderson, Tote + Pears
7. You’ve Embraced a Lifestyle
“A good brand extends beyond its product and incorporates an entire lifestyle. Red Bull is an excellent example of this philosophy in action: In a market stuffed with competitors, their energy drink brand defines itself by embracing extreme sports and an adrenaline-seeking lifestyle. Imagine a type of person or hobby that goes along with your company’s products or services and add it to your brand!”
Bryce Welker, Crush The CPA Exam
8. You Operate With Honesty and Integrity
“In the information age, customers are more attracted to brands that put people before profits. For instance, many well-admired businesses aim to facilitate more responsible consumer habits by producing higher-quality goods that are affordable and made to last, while others encourage toxic consumerism with products that are quickly disposable.”
Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep
9. You Give Back
“Strong brands have a philanthropic department dedicated to giving back to the community, country or world. Some of these brands will even tie their philanthropic efforts into their mission statement, helping create a bigger vision for their company.”
10. You Offer Great Value and Great Service
“The hallmark of a particularly strong brand is always rooted in how it treats its customers and the value that the product itself offers. Any brand can come up with a catchy name, logo and other branding assets, but what separates the winners from the losers is the quality of the actual product/service they are selling, as well as how they treat and nurture their customers.”
Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
11. You’re Constantly Innovating
“The brands that stay relevant through the years are those that keep changing. Software companies come out with upgrades and new features. Brick-and-mortar businesses update their ordering systems, product offerings and the ambiance of their establishment. While the foundation and unique benefit of the business stays constant, the experience continues to evolve.”
Brian Greenberg, True Blue Life Insurance
12. You Live Out Your Core Values
“A strong brand is one that follows its core values and conveys them to both their employees and customers. Being consistent in this message and ensuring that employees exemplify it will create a brand that is strong. An example is American Express, which counts customer commitment, quality and integrity among its core qualities, and is known to have excellent customer support and service.”
Vincenzo Villamena, Online Taxman
13. Your Brand Is Timeless
“A good brand is timeless. It can survive from generation to generation without having to change the core message too much. If you look at Coca Cola, one of the top brands in the world, their name, colors and taglines are as relevant today as they were in the early 1900s. A good brand can always stand the test of time. Avoid trendy words or phrases that are in today, but might be gone tomorrow.”
Andy Karuza, FenSens
