Many times, branding is misunderstood. Businesses and individuals, alike, use the
term interchangeably with marketing or public relations. But a brand is the identity of a business,
organization and helps tell the story and give others an incentive to buy into
what you are all about.
Many business
owners and organization leaders don’t put as much thought into it as they
probably should. Take, for instance,
associations – member organizations that don’t have a product to sell, but
benefits. Associations need strategic
branding more than anything to sell memberships.
Branding is not just about the graphic representation of an
association in the form of a logo. The visual representation of a logo as part
of a brand becomes more meaningful and valuable if it encapsulates and
communicates effectively the association’s core identity: its brand voice,
mission, vision, values, goals and brand story.
Too often the foundation of an association marketing
strategy, an organization brand, is ignored when developing association
marketing strategy and tactics. How do you build an organization’s brand? The
temporary victory that comes from developing an association’s marketing
strategy without redeveloping or redeploying a brand strategy is anything but traditional.
Branding As Marketing
Your organization’s brand needs to steer your marketing
strategy if it’s going to grow market share and increase your association’s
preference. Branding an association or an organization means it must blend with
the marketing organically.
An association’s brand is dependent on the organization
members and prospective members – they help identify passion points and
benefits of services offered and services that should be offered. Most
association marketing strategies lack this thought process because they have
confused their association’s brand with their corporate proposition or product
(association) attributes. As a result, the marketing efforts fail.
When branding an association look closely at the
aspirations of the prospective members
The reason most marketing strategies fail is not because the
organization’s strategy was wrong, rather because internal decision makers are unable
to observe the association’s brand dispassionately. To put it into perspective
– do you really know how you appear to others? For example, how many bald men
think the “comb over” is an effective disguise? People cannot see themselves as
others do, and organization marketing departments quickly reinforce this
fundamental truth when they step into the “corporate body” — unable to see
itself dispassionately.
More often than not, the corporate body reacts in terms of
its own needs and wants. Such blindness presents an opportunity for other
organizations or associations that are willing to see association brand
development as central to its marketing development and not simply as
something to be managed.
How Marketing Has Changed
Brand is about persuasion because it is all about the
beliefs that drive your target audience. It is not static. It is a fluid idea that continually changes
with the wants and desires of prospective members.
Branding an association without a concrete
marketing strategy as part of its deliverables is like going to the finest
restaurants in the world, deciding what you want to eat, and then eating the
laminated menu rather than what you ordered.
Surrounding and supporting core identity are the brand
components and applications that capture the identity of the association. Brand
components, such as the logo, tagline, imagery, colors, shapes, tone of voice,
layout, style and font type are ingredients in creating the unique identity of
an association’s brand. They include corporate stationery, web site, videos,
office environment, brochure, social media, etc. All these are relevant in
designing and building a brand.
Again, branding is a process and brands should be nurtured.
The design process from research, brand strategy formation to the creative
expression of the logo are all essential parts to a brand. To create an
effective brand, an organization must incorporate the following components:
- People—the
association’s main asset. Whether a volunteer or an employee, they provide
time, expertise and contacts.
- Belief—reflects
the association’s core values, which drive its people to achieve positive
and progressive outcomes.
- Cause—describes
the organization’s mission and is a fundamental part of the brand story.
- Stories—represent
the many “voices” of the association and its members.
- Advocacy—is
about the association’s purpose, which is the core and reason for being.
Finally, brand management is a critical part in nurturing
brands and requires the commitment of the organization’s leadership,
involvement of the staff and identification of those who will be champions.
How does an association start to brand itself?
- Discover who you really are, what you want to be known for.
- Understand
prospects’ pain points.
- Know
what solutions you provide.
- Develop
and share your story in a clear, consistent manner.
Is branding for associations? A resounding YES! Countries do
branding (for tourism, etc.), companies do it, too (to sell their products) as
do people (for personal equity). Why not
associations? Associations touch lives, provide benefits and can make a
positive difference to an individual or business – so, why WOULDN’T an
association invest in branding?
