Individuals have personalities and value systems. So do companies. In marketing “Brand Identity” is the word that describes the persona of a person as well as of an organization. For collectives and individuals, knowing your key branding components will maintain consistency within the brand.

Our Behavior Provides Brand Cues

Because the character of a group or a person is difficult to determine without long acquaintance, consumers (everyone responding to a group or individual brand) must base their expectations on superficial cues. It is important to be aware of the impressions you are creating as you strive to match your desired brand image. The way you look, communicate, and react will be the hallmarks of your brand whether you are one person or an association. Outward appearances and behaviors are a big part of the brand identity.

We all generalize from external cues but no group or individual entirely matches the stereotypes that are being applied to them. Subtle differences among different members of any class will not generally be noticed during casual encounters by others. How you look and behave must align as closely as possible with the expectations you have created.

In order to navigate the world, we all draw conclusions with a minimum of information. Unfortunately, that means that other people will often misunderstand our motivations and intent. This is why it is so important to know how the identity you project is likely to be received. The way we appear to others is our brand.

Branding For Individuals

Our mothers always told us that we need to decide who we aspire to be and then live in a way that is in keeping with that. In a professional development workshop you will often be asked to develop a list of personal descriptors that will convey the cornerstones of who you are. You will be told to make sure that your behavior supports the character traits of your ideal self. In art school many people wear unconventional clothing and hair styles because that seems to be in keeping with public expectations of creative people. Accountants and bankers often dress very conservatively. In reality, many people have other unexpressed aspects of their natures but letting your grooming deviate from expected norms might undercut your goals. We all tailor the face we present to fit our circumstances. If we don’t, we will be ineffective in some settings.

A good example is this funny skit by comedians Key and Peele. When they are within earshot of one another, each of the characters in this sketch reverts to a macho homeboy stance that is not the same as in other situations. Speech, like clothing, is an important marker for your brand

When I was young I always knew when my sister was on the phone with a boy. Her voice was pitched higher, she giggled a lot, and her end of the conversation sounded silly. We all do things like that. We talk to our mothers differently than we talk to our best friend. We use a different style of speech and writing in the workplace than we do in our personal lives.

A cynic would say that this adaptive response to circumstances shows a lack of authenticity. That can be true when the person is unrecognizable from situation to situation. In less extreme cases it shows the ability to make adjustments to different contexts in order to be productive. However, the bedrock of your character should not vary.

Branding in Organizations

A company, club, school, church, or other enduring group of individuals will also have a brand. That brand identity results from all the actions taken by anyone who is a member of the organization. For the group to project the desired brand, everyone must behave in a way that is consistent with the desired corporate identity.

Most companies dictate their “brand promise” from the C-Suite. While the leaders do need to establish what the mission and vision are, without buy-in from the rank and file there is likely to be a huge discrepancy between what is happening on the ground and the behaviors that are necessary to support the brand. This will result in inconsistent performance by employees.

Determining your Brand Identity

Whether you are developing your brand as an enterprise or as an individual, it isn’t difficult to establish the values by which you operate. Just think about how you want to be remembered.

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As you identify your brand qualities, limit the list to five or six characteristics that will be valued by your customers. A longer list will dilute your ability to communicate or act upon them.

After you’ve determined the characteristics of your brand, make sure that you operationalize them by describing exactly how you can fulfill them successfully. For instance, being responsive could mean that all email inquiries and complaints receive attention within two hours. Quick resolution will build a perception that your brand cares about others and is committed to doing a good job.

Enforcing the Brand

Once the character of the brand is defined, it must be consistently enforced. For instance, I want to be known as a reliable person. That means I am committed to being on time and to meeting my deadlines. I believe this shows that I respect others.

If a company promises exceptional customer service, everyone in sales, operations, fulfillment, and support must understand how that translates to every function. Training is essential and solutions to problems must be able to be handled at the lowest possible level. Employees must have clear job responsibilities and appropriate autonomy. Customers must be able to trust that they have received what they have been promised. If they don’t, the reputation of the group will suffer and the brand image will be damaged.

Concerns for branding often result in tremendous attention to cosmetics rather than essentials. When a company creates an exhaustive manual of brand standards but doesn’t provide job performance guidance, they are missing the point. The logo, colors and fonts should be established, but, overall, what you do will always be more important than how you look. People whose brand is more about wearing cowboy boots or the color orange than personal character are similarly off base.

Whether you are an individual or a company, not defining your brand will reduce the likelihood that you can use it to support your goals. Your brand identity is intangible, but it using it well will give you power. You need to describe who you are and how you are unique from the others to which you could be compared. Then live it consistently.

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