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How Do You Build An Iconic Brand? One Brick At A Time
Emily and I met in 2007 and our initial connection was over a shared love of photography. Initially we both thought we would meet and chat about photo shoots, lighting and camera gear but the universe had different plans. Sure we chatted about those things but we also quickly saw there was more to it than that. We were falling in love.
By the time we got married, just two short years later, we were working together on weddings, portrait sessions and the occasional passion project. It became clear that operating two photography brands just didn't make sense so we decided would would merge and create one ICONIC super brand that would acknowledge our shared past and represent our professional future.
We decided that the first item on our very long rebrand to do list was creating a name. Anyone who has ever named anything ever will tell you that this process is not simple, easy or quick.
I love a good white board so we stepped up to our oversized creative playground and started writing. We came up with some wildly creative ideas but none of them had that feeling you want when you're naming something this important...be it a baby, a boat or a business.
Early in the process we discussed maybe using our new shared last name and although we loved the idea, we decided to keep marinating on it. We tend to like to go through the process of "proving ourselves right" by considering all the options and whittling away the ones we don't want until we are faced with the reality that we were on to something way back when we started.
Interestingly, in this particular case, it wasn't so much us that proved we were on to something but rather our industry associates, clients and friends.
Throughout that week, as we worked to name our new iconic brand we attended a number of open houses, networking events, happy hours and client projects. Upon arrival, as we hugged and shook hands our community consistently referred to us as "The Mamones".
"Hey, The Mamones are here"
"Hello, how are The Mamones this week"
"What's going on in The Mamones world"
We took that as a sign. We registered the URL and immediately got to work on building our iconic brand and decided that, in contrast to Simon Sinek's notion to Start With WHY, we would Start With WHO and save the why for a bit later in the process.
It's been nearly 30 years since I graduated from college and accepted my first corporate job and almost 20 years since I became a business owner and entrepreneur. In all that time I've learned that bringing who you are to what you do is essential to your success as a career driven professional or entrepreneur. Acknowledging that means that it's critical that you know who you are, where you're from and what you are fiercely committed to now.
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Your unique brand is an extension of your authentic identity
β Don Mamone
Unfortunately, it's incredibly common to underestimate the connection between who you are and what you're building. In some cases it's ignored all together resulting in catastrophic results. Admittedly, it's hard work but, as with most things, it's worth it.
What about you: Is your brand truly authentic? Can you see yourself in your unique brand? Can you quickly and easily tell me why your clients are better off working with you than with your competition? Hit reply and tell me all about it.
Next Week: Brand strength, recognition and positioning...
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